Vow
by Bunan Tsokolatte
Summary: It has been two years since Haru's adventure to the Cat Kingdom. What will happen when a malicious duke from the kingdom comes to collect her? BaronxHaru. My first fanfic in a few years. I hope you enjoy it. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 1

"I need a hot chocolate, Haru!" called the boss.

"Got it!" replied a smiling, brunette girl from behind the counter.

Haru Yoshioka quickly grabbed one of the many white china mugs in the rack. She put it on the rack of the coffee machine and raised the small plastic switch. The creamy brown cocoa filled the cup within seconds with a scrumptious steam of aroma arising from its swirly surface. Satisfied, Haru went up to the counter.

"Would you like whipped cream on yours, miss?" Haru asked the customer, a tall woman with her brown hair in a ponytail. She stood there happily with a floral, pink skirt and a white jacket with a blank tank top beneath it. Her head was also crowned with spunky rose sunglasses.

"Yes, please!" she replied with a smile.

Haru gave her own smile in response as she turned around to grab the whipped cream dispenser. She turned it upside down and hoisted it over the steaming mug. With a slight squeeze of the handle, the cream emerged from the spout with a soft, high pitched sound of air accompanying it. Haru guided the dispenser to create a light, fluffy swirl to cover the surface of cocoa.

"Here you are, miss. Please come again!" Haru said as she turned around and placed the delicate mug on the counter. She made a small bow before her customer.

"Thank you!" replied the woman with a smile as she took the mug from the counter and took a table outside.

Haru stole a quick glance at the fat white cat at the table next to the one in which the woman sat. It sat there everyday, lying there on the seat hidden from human eyes. The cat removed himself from his lazy position to raise its head and meet eyes with the girl. By doing so, the cat revealed its ear which was dark compared to the rest of its white fur. Haru smiled at the cat before returning to her work.

Muta watched as she occupied herself with her work. "Chicky better bring me some cake when she's done."

After serving some more customers, Haru took a moment to stare out the window into the city streets. It was place that sent a flood of memories to her mind. This is where she first met Muta. Where he led her to the Cat Bureau, the magical place where she began a grand adventure. When she met so many wonderful friends. When she met Baron.

It was always this place and this weather that reminded her of two years ago. She had saved a cat from getting hit by a truck by a well-aimed swing of her lacrosse stick. But it had not been just any cat. It was the prince of the Cat Kingdom with whom she had shared a human conversation. It was her gift to talk to cats. It had been the first time she had unlocked it in years.

It was chaotic the moment the rest of the Cat Kingdom came to thank her with their feline gifts. A yard full of cat tails which she was allergic to. Catnip which made all of the cats she passed run after her in a frenzy. Boxes of mice in her locker at school. And the "greatest" gift of all: her engagement to the prince she rescued.

A voice told her to go to the crossroads and find a big white cat to solve her problems with these relentless cats. That's when she met Muta who led her to the little refuge for creations. That's when the bright sunlight shone down upon the little green house which was the Bureau. And from the house emerged a cat figurine in a suit with a cane: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen.

He was a person so refined and sure. He always wore his fine white suit with the violet vest underneath, black shoes, and a sky blue bow tied around his collar. He could never go anywhere without his white top hat or his cane either. He spoke with a cool, English accent and had the head of a tabby cat with red fur. He also had the most beautiful, piercing emerald eyes Haru had ever seen. He was the one who always pushed her to trust herself and saved her whenever she was in trouble.

He came for her when she was swept away to the Cat Kingdom so shortly after their meeting. He dressed as an entertainer to dance with her in an attempt to get her away. But soon enough, he had to unmask his identity so shortly after stealing Haru's heart on the dance floor. Haru, Baron, and Muta had run through the maze to the tower that would take her home where Baron carried her halfway up the tower when she was exhausted and protected her when half of it blew up.

The prince she rescued, Prince Lune, had shown up in the nick of time to say he didn't want to marry Haru and wanted to marry Yuki, the beautiful white cat Haru had fed as while Yuki was a stray and who had told Haru to go to the Cat Bureau. Muta, Baron, and the crow Toto and his flying friends got Haru home safe and sound after escaping the Cat King who had decided last minute that Haru should marry him instead.

Through all of this, Baron held a special place in her heart. She was happy enough that he knew she liked him. But every time she thought of him or saw him, his place seemed to grow until it began to completely take over her heart. She continued to entertain her mind with fantasies she would have of him and his nature to sweep her off her feet. A goofy grin took hold on her expression. Muta could already see her gazing through that window with her cheeks tinting pink.

"That girl's got her head in the clouds," he muttered to himself.

It had been two years since then. Now, she had just finished high school and found that there wasn't much to do when there wasn't school. So she got a job at the café to stay close to the Bureau. She went out with Hiromi (whenever she wasn't with Tsuge) who got Haru a little more into her feminine side. Haru grew her bangs a little longer and she would do things with her hair now (like today – her bangs were pinned back to stretch smoothly over her head). She never got up late and became more responsible at her age. This was the girl she became ever since her adventure in the world of cats.

Haru took a moment to glance at the clock on the wall. _Almost four o'clock_… she thought to herself excitedly. For once it struck four o'clock, she'd be on her way to the Bureau to see him again as she did everyday when her shift was over. She was happy that now that school was over, she could actually come and see her friends at the Bureau on a regular basis. She giggled to herself at the thought.

Haru constantly looked back at the clock. Once it hit four o'clock, she quickly made her way to the back room to get her things. She changed out of her white collared shirt, black pants, and red apron into something more comfortable: a white blouse with princess sleeves and a frilly sky blue skirt that went to her knees. She hoped it would catch Baron's eye. She crossed her fingers.

Trying to move around behind the counter, she tried to scoot past a new face that began working at the café today. The girl, wearing glasses and with two dark braids lying over her shoulders, meekly mumbled, "Excuse me" when the teapot and teacups on the tray she had been holding began to slip. The girl, her eyes full of fright, tried to lean the tray the opposite direction to keep the cups of tea from falling. But instead, she fell into Haru along with all of the tea.

Haru yelped loudly as the teapot spilled over and the tea, which, to Haru at the moment, felt hotter than the Sun, scorched her skin red. Her skin felt like it was sizzling on a stovetop and it stung at the touch. Small tears emerged at the corners of her eyes from the scalding pain. A shaky, "Owwww…" was all Haru could manage to say.

"I'm-I'm so sorry!!" cried the girl with the braids, standing there pale and petrified.

"Oh my gosh, Haru!" said Ayame, another one of the girls. "Here, come with me!"

Ayame led her into the back kitchen to the sink where she quickly turned on the cold water. The water came crashing down into the sink in copious amounts, making an irritatingly loud echoing sound as it clanged against the metal.

"Run your arm under there for a good fifteen minutes," Ayame said.

"What?!" Haru screeched, suddenly forgetting about the pain. "Fifteen minutes?!" All she could think of was delaying seeing the Baron.

Ayame's eyes widened at Haru's aggressive, unexpected reaction. "Okay! Five at least if it bothers you that much."

As Ayame walked out of the kitchen, Haru ran her glowing, pulsing red elbow under the icy water. For a moment, the extreme differences in temperature seemed to only intensify the sting of the scald. But after a few minutes, the sting had lessened. Haru sighed in relief. She looked at her arm again. The bright red had lightened up a little but it was still quite noticeable.

_I can't let Baron see my arm like this_, she thought. _He'll freak!_

Frantically, she looked around to find something she could cover up the scald with. She looked over at one of the racks in the corner where they kept all of the rags. She grabbed one and improvised a knot around her arm. Examining it, she just sighed. _Close enough_.

She made her way around the other employees behind the counter. No sign of the new girl.

"Here, Haru!" Ayame called, waving a plastic box at her. Through the clear plastic, Haru could see a slice of a coffee cake with its yellow pigment and dainty brown swirls. A plastic fork resided next to it. Ayame also held some napkins beneath it. "Take this before you go! I'm sure you'll need it after what happened."

"Thanks!" Haru said, smiling appreciatively. She took the box and napkins and rushed outside.

Fewer cars were out on the road now and the sky was orange from the setting sun. It reflected blindingly off of the city windows. She looked at the tables where Muta laid relaxing in the same chair.

"I'm finished with my shift, Muta!" she called to the cat.

Muta lazily turned his head to look at her and jumped off of the chair. "Some of that cake better be for me," Muta said as they began to walk in the direction of the Bureau.

"You'll get some!" Haru replied. "Don't worry! I can only stand coffee for so long in one day."

Little did they know that an eerie pair of moon-silver eyes followed their every move.

--

Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic in years and so I suppose my writing style might be a bit shaky. I watched this movie recently and fell in love with it! I don't know if it's considered a great movie but nonetheless I was inspired. I hope you enjoy it so far! I already have a second chapter written. Just making some revisions. Constructive criticism welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 2

Haru and Muta made way to the Bureau in silence. They couldn't talk too much to each other in the presence of humans. After jumping on many roofs and squishing through alleyways, they made it to the refuge. It was a circular court of small houses that were about as high as her. The stone pole in the center, with Toto decorating the top, was a few feet taller than she. But these features were normal to her now. All that mattered was the tiniest house coming into view: a little white and green house opposite the entrance to the refuge. The Cat Bureau.

A smile lit up on Haru's face the closer she got to the little house. But it quickly disappeared when she heard Muta yell. A flapping of wings could be heard getting softer.

"Gotcha, this time!" said Toto, awakening from his usual spot on top of the pole.

Muta groaned. "That was a cheap shot, bird brain!" he yelled. "You attacked my back!"

"It's not my fault you're too deaf to hear me flapping near you," Toto retorted. "I think those hairballs have plugged your ears too."

"Well at least I'm not cheap enough to attack you while your back is turned! It's dishonorable!"

"Since when do you care about honor? And if you weren't so fat, you wouldn't be so slow."

Haru laughed at their usual quarrelling. But her mind was already focused on something else – or, rather, someone else – when she heard the tiny clacking of shoes approach. She turned to see Baron, walking towards her with his dignified walk and straight posture. In one gloved human hand, he held his cane which clicked along with his shoes as he walked. His hat made him look all the more domineering despite his size and his suit passed him off as the fine gentleman he was. His piercing emerald eyes looked up at her and she saw his orange and cream fur hidden beneath the hat.

"Haru, you look marvelous," he said in his smooth, English accent, a suave smile playing on his lips. The pitch of his voice was slightly higher in his surprise at her look. _How does she become more beautiful every day?_ he thought to himself, staring at the woman he thought had fallen from the sky.

"Thank you," Haru said, tucking some hair behind her ear while the lightest pink tinged her cheeks.

_Breathtaking_, thought Baron.

"As do you, Baron, as usual," said Haru, smiling at him.

"Thank you. Please, come into the Bureau."

He walked back into the Bureau and Haru followed. She got on her hands and knees to crawl inside, trying to squeeze her way through the small entryway.

"Ugh, I don't know how I pull this off every time I come here…" Haru muttered to herself, straining to get her body through.

"Ah! That reminds me. Grab that bottle there by the chest." Baron said, motioning to a giant crystal vial with sparkling blue liquid swirling inside. Haru refrained from laughing at its size. To Baron, it could have been a big vase. To Haru, it was a small bottle. "Courtesy of King Lune and Queen Yuki," he said.

"What is it?" Haru asked, picking up the vial and looking at it.

"It's a cat potion to make you shrink. To my size, I imagine," the Baron replied.

Haru looked at it one more time before tilting it to her lips. She let the cool liquid pass through her lips. After it passed her throat, she felt a tiny jolt shock through her. The room was spinning chaotically for a split second of blur, wind, and color. Then before she knew it, she was in an unfamiliar setting. She was crouched on the ground marveling at the size of the house before realizing that she was in the Cat Bureau.

"Wow, it's so different from down here," Haru said, walking inside and continuing to look around at the big capacity of the house. The chandelier above her would surely crush her now were it to fall.

Baron chuckled. "I'm sure it is. Please take a seat. I'll fix up some tea."

Haru took a seat on the burgundy couch. She waited patiently as Baron prepared the tea. Her eyelids drooped in this relaxing setting and a deep yawn rolled through her.

"Tired, are you?" Baron asked.

"Mmm, just a little," Haru replied. "I've been working hard."

"Well don't overwork yourself. I'd hate to see you wearing yourself out."

"I'm not! But thank you for being so concerned," said Haru, smiling. "Besides, the coffee helps."

As she looked around the house, her eyes once again fell on the painting hanging next to the grandfather clock. It was an elegant, light colored female cat in a deep green dress. She was holding a matching parasol with both of her hands and the parasol delicately rested on her shoulder so the parasol fanned out behind her head. A burgundy capelette was draped around her shoulders and a matching, flowery hat topped her head. The black background made her appear even more mysterious to Haru. Haru had wanted to ask Baron who she was for ages but feared his reaction. Feeling a little more anxious than normal, she decided today was the day.

Taking a nervous gulp, she said, "Um…Baron?" Her voice came out quiet, squeaky, and trembling. She mentally punished herself for sounding so distressed. She hoped he couldn't hear how her heartbeat kicked up a few notches.

"Yes, Haru?" he acknowledged with a slight turn of the head in her direction.

"Um…I've always been wondering…who is the woman in the painting you have on your wall?" she said, trying to avoid tripping over her words.

Baron, still preparing the tea, took a quick and blank yet lingering glance at the painting by the grandfather clock of the beautiful mystery woman and her gentle gaze.

Haru quickly looked down at her lap at Baron's reaction. Her face was beet red with embarrassment. Before Baron even had a chance to respond, she exclaimed, "I'm sorry! I was just curious!"

Baron looked back at Haru momentarily. Her eyes were averted away from him and he found her even more adorable when she was nervous over such an innocent question. He chuckled to himself. "It's all right Haru. I can understand if you're curious." He turned back to the painting again. "That is Baroness Louise."

Haru's heart seemed to stop in her chest. _Baroness?_ _Baroness?!_ Haru thought. The word echoed in her head incessantly. Her heart was sinking at the millions of thoughts that went flying off of that tiny piece of information alone. "Oh…" Haru managed to say in a faltering voice. But she perked it up again to hide her worry. "I didn't know you were married, Baron."

"Mmm, not married exactly," said Baron, paying attention to every detail of Haru's reaction. "The artisan who made me thought I'd be lonely so he made me a companion he called the Baroness."

"Ah. Where is she now?" Haru asked, gulping her fear of what the answer might bring.

"We were separated," Baron replied. "We were in the care of a German café owner at the time when this lovely couple was fascinated by us. It took them awhile but they managed to convince the owner to let them buy us. The young man named Nishi took me while the Baroness was taken by the young woman named Louise – that's from whom the Baroness gets her name.

"Nishi had to leave for Japan. So the couple made a vow that they would be reunited when I was with the Baroness. But after the war began, I was never to see the Baroness again. Nishi never saw Louise again either."

"Oh, how tragic," Haru said, her heartstrings tugging. She wanted to hear more. She hadn't heard this much of Baron's story before.

As if reading her thoughts, Baron continued. "I stayed with Nishi in his antique shop here in Japan until he died an elderly man. His undying love for Louise released my soul and allowed me to become active."

Haru raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I don't understand. I thought you've always had a soul, Baron."

"Well yes. But I could never use it, per se," Baron explained. "Up until Nishi's love released me from my bonds, I had no physical capabilities. That's why I was able to observe all of this but never move. His love for Louise awakened me and gave me purpose: to help others. And since I had no more obligations to another human like I had with the artisan or the café owner or Nishi, that's when I started the Cat Bureau."

"Ah, I see," Haru said. She looked back at the portrait of Baroness and her heart began to sink again. "Do you…do you still love her, Baron?"

Baron was silent for a moment as he pondered it. Haru waited torturously through the long silence that he induced. Finally, he said, "I did. But I've moved on since we've separated. Besides, I think the only reason I may have loved her was because that was the artisan's wish. I can never say up to now whether or not it was my decision to love her or not. Nevertheless, I have the portrait of the Baroness to remember and respect her wherever she may be now."

Haru sighed in relief. _I hope this means I still have a chance,_ she thought.

As Haru continued to wait for the tea, her mind was constantly tugging back to the pain on her arm. She looked over at Baron to make sure he was occupied before sliding the rag down a little to look at the scald on her arm. It was still a bold red color but it wasn't so bad now. She pressed the skin and the sizzling feeling returned. The quietest hiss seeped through her teeth at the sting. Baron's ears perked at the sound. She saw Baron turn his head and dart his eyes at her arm. She tried to cover it back up quickly but Baron's eyes were faster.

"My goodness, Haru!" Baron gasped at the sight of the glowing red skin of her arm. "What on earth happened to your arm?"

Haru turned so she was facing the Baron straight-on. She hid her arm behind her as best as she could with the couch and her back as a shield. She forced a smile onto her face. "Ermm…nothing, Baron! Just…uh…a tiny accident at work! Ehehehe…." Her awkward smile was accompanied by a strange, unnatural laugh.

Baron wasn't buying it. "I wouldn't call that a _tiny_ accident. Let me see," Baron said, walking towards Haru.

"Really, Baron. It's nothing to fuss over," said Haru, trying to scoot a little further away from him as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

Baron ignored her dismissal and reached for her arm. Haru couldn't resist. At the moment, she was too flustered by how close he was. The only other times he had really been this close was during times of rescue. She hoped he didn't see her blushing cheeks as his careful, gloved hands took her arm and handled it like a fragile, precious object. The silence was so immense that the ruffling of the cloth as he undid the rag seemed to be too disturbing. He set down the rag to examine her arm and its puffy redness.

"What happened, Haru?" Baron sighed a little worriedly.

"It was nothing big," replied Haru, defeated. "A new girl at work had a tray of cups of tea and a teapot and she fell over and it spilled on my arm."

"I've read about scalds. They can be serious burns. You treated it, I presume?"

"I ran it under cold water for about five minutes," Haru replied.

"Hmm, not enough," Baron said.

He stood up and went over to the cupboard. After searching around for a few moments, he found thin, wide medical tape. He took it over to where all of his tea supplies were and found his bucket of cold water. He soaked the tape in the water, shook out any excess, and came back to the couch to sit next to Haru. He carefully lifted her arm again and wrapped the soaked medical tape around her scald.

"This will keep your skin cold," Baron informed with his eye on his work. "Soon enough the sting will fade. You should've kept it under the water for fifteen minutes you know."

"Ah," Haru simply replied. _I would've if I hadn't been so excited about seeing you_, Haru thought to herself.

"I take it you don't want tea after this little incident, do you?"

"Oh no! Your tea always makes me feel better, Baron," Haru reassured, smiling.

Baron smiled back at the heartwarming remark. "Thank you. I'm glad it does."

Baron finished up binding the medical tape around Haru's arm. "There. That should do the trick," Baron said, still holding her arm up to make sure the wrapping would stay in place. "Not too tight, is it?"

"No, it's perfect," Haru said smiling. The sting began to be drowned out by the cold of the water. And Baron had tied it just tight enough so it stayed on without restricting her movement too much. "Thank you," Haru said looking up at him.

"It's my pleasure," Baron replied courteously, smiling back.

Before they had even realized it, the two of them were looking into each other's eyes. Haru's smile seemed to fade as she once again realized how close Baron was to her at this moment. His emerald eyes seemed to pierce into her heart and melt her insides instantly. In those dazzling eyes a world seemed to exist that she wanted to fall into and get lost in. She was vaguely aware that he still held her arm with his two gloved hands. She barely felt the soft material tickling her skin as his fingers tenderly stroked her arm. They sent tiny electric shocks up her nerves and she thought her fingers shook from it. She hoped Baron couldn't feel that.

Baron stared at Haru head on. Her wide, pure brown eyes seemed to have a sparkle to them that no one else could possibly possess. They lifted his spirits every time he gazed into them. Her smile was more heartwarming than anything else in the world. And this was the first time he had seriously felt her skin. It was so soft and smooth beneath his covered fingers. It was a crime to have her beautiful skin marred by the nature of hot water.

The two seemed to stare at each other for an eternity. Moving with every torturous, infinitesimal degree, they leaned into each other like they couldn't get close enough to each other, like they so desperately needed to communicate something…

"Hey, Baron? Haru? Where're the cakes?" Muta yelled as he burst in.

Shocked, Baron and Haru quickly pulled away from each other and looked around as if nothing interesting had happened. Haru had jumped from the sudden entrance and was now blushing violently. Her shoulders were high and tense as she looked around, hoping no one would notice. Baron took the loud welcome collectively as he sat up straight and pretended to go attend to tea, as enigmatic as ever. His face was stern now, trying his best to hide the irritation that his lovely moment with Haru had been so rudely interrupted.

"Cakes?" Toto said as he came in through the door above, stressing the plural _s_ at the end. "One's not good enough for you this time?"

"Hey. There's the coffee cake that Haru got at work today and there's Baron's angelfood cake," Muta said. "It's not right to leave one lonely."

Muta got out the cakes and began to eat away. He seemed to scarf down the coffee cake whole. Baron had to cut a slice of the angel food cake for everyone before it became victim to Muta's large appetite.

The four of them ate together in lively conversation. All the while, Baron couldn't help but notice the way Haru looked. She had grown over the past two years. She seemed more confident and mature. The fashionable things her friend had taught her made her appear like a shy beauty which Baron would reassure with compliments. Her smile lit up the room so happily it was infectious. Her atmosphere brought a brightening touch on the ambiance of the place.

Baron's heart seemed to kick up ten notches when she was around. He couldn't help but smile at how happy she was and comfort her whenever she wasn't. Ever since she had come into his life two years ago, he always looked forward to her coming to visit. He always enjoyed her company whenever life proved disinteresting for him or when he had no requests for aid. He was addicted to her glow like a moth to a candle flame.

_She seems to grow lovelier every day,_ Baron thought to himself, smiling. The way her hair framed her beautiful, warm face and seemed to stretch down to try to tickle her long, slender neck…her warm brown eyes that would lift your spirit with a glance…her genuine smile…

"Well don't eat all of it!" shouted Toto, tugging Baron from his thoughts.

"Well none of you said you were gonna have another slice!" Muta said, already cutting another slice.

"Don't you think we should save some for next time? How many more pounds to you plan to gain?"

"I can't let the cake go to waste!"

"I swear your appetite never ceases to amaze me."

"And your lack of one never ceases to amaze me. By all means, you should have my appetite!"

"And look like you? A fat crow? I'd be so heavy I wouldn't be able to fly anymore!"

"Quiet down, you two!" Baron said, raising his voice.

Toto and Muta turned, shocked, to look at Baron who never interrupted their little fights. But looking back over at the couch, they could see why. Haru was fast asleep. Her arm was propped up by the arm of the couch. She was fast asleep with her head lolling on her palm. In her lap, her teacup (empty, luckily) was rolling on its side on the matching saucer. Her mouth was open ever so slightly with the air seeping so quietly through. Yet she still sat up as if she were still awake.

"Heh! I guess the coffee really doesn't do that much for her, does it?" Muta said.

"She must've fallen asleep while we were yelling at each other," Toto said.

But their comments were distant echoes for Baron as he took a moment to take in this scene. Haru looked so peaceful as she slept. Her long eyelashes were so still and her chest rose and fell with steady, easy breathing. Her shoulders drooped with comfort. Her hands were limp and inactive. His heartstrings seemed to be set aflame at the image of the one he loved in her dreamy state. How he wanted to hold her at this moment and let her rest against him in her fatigue, listening to her slow breathing and the soft beating of her heart. But he shook his head and kept to his gentlemanly ways.

Baron picked up his cane and walked over next to the grandfather clock. Trying his best not to wake Haru, he tapped his cane twice on the wooden planks before the clock. _Thud. Thud_. A square of light flashed for a moment before revealing a stairway. The stairs descended to a corridor lit by lamps.

"She's staying here then, Baron?" Muta said, slightly appalled.

"Well, it would be rude to wake her now and have her walk home in the dead of night," Baron replied. "And I can't remember the last time I had a guest in my abode."

Muta snickered. "Ha! You're just dying to have her stay, aren't you? Gotta come up with some excuse?"

Baron ignored the comment and walked back over to Haru. He carefully took the cup and saucer from her hands and placed them on the table. He twisted to put her propped up arm around his neck before placing his arms beneath her back and knees. Stirring a little, Haru clutched onto Baron with her arms as she slept and tucked her head in Baron's neck. He picked her up carefully proceeded down the stairs into the corridor.

It had been awhile since he walked down this corridor where all of the other domestic rooms were hidden from sight. The Bureau, although big, never did have the space for another floor above. Baron's only choice was to use the space underground. Baron, although his official bedroom was down here, hadn't come down here in a long time. Whenever he slept, he was in the Bureau busying himself with something. He was just glad that he could make use of his guest rooms.

He entered the second door on his left. The walls of the small room were lined in white and yellow striped wallpaper. Against the wall to Baron's left was a small white bed with a yellow bed canopy draping the mattress. A white dresser was against the opposite wall in front of the bed where a small vase of yellow tulips and a small white clock rested. Next to the dresser was a giant wardrobe, open to reveal all the dresses a girl could ever dream of wearing. Near the pillows on the bed stood a nightstand with a round yellow lamp sitting on it. In the corner was a white, full length wardrobe mirror waiting for a girl to come stare at her reflection. Baron had been saving such a beautiful room for a girl like Haru. He only hoped she would like it.

He wedged Haru through an opening in the canopy and slid her legs beneath the soft, silky sheets, laying her on her back. The cotton was irresistibly soft against the skin and the shiny brocade fabric had a fascinating way of liberating a person from the world of wake. He laid her head on the pillows very gently and, without rousing her, slowly took off her shoes.

Haru subconsciously realized that her body was no longer on the more rough material of the couch; it was on something much softer and comfortable, something that seemed to make her fatigued body sigh in relief as she turned onto her side. She stirred a little and opened her eyes for a moment. Through her blurry, sleepy vision, she saw the fuzzy outline of Baron's face staring at her. It brought a tired smile to her face.

"Mmmm…Baron…" Haru mumbled as she descended back into her dreamland. Was this a dream? If it was, it was certainly the most pleasant she's ever had.

Baron smiled as Haru fell back asleep after her moment of weary yet pleasant confusion. Without allowing himself time to stop himself, Baron leaned over Haru's head and brushed a long, chaste kiss to her temple. He whispered in her ear, "Good night, my beloved Haru." For the quickest moment, he questioned the words that just came out of his mouth. '_His_ beloved Haru?' She wasn't his. But at the moment, he wanted so badly for her to be his beloved. He wanted to be the one that put her to bed while she was tired and whispered the truest, most loving endearments in her ear and reminding her of how he cared for her (something she wouldn't typically know). This fantasy was the only liberty he would allow himself as she slept in front of him. "I hope you have sweet dreams."

His words seemed to echo in Haru's dreams and, as if she had consciously heard him, the corners of her lips raised ever so slightly into a smile. Baron smiled in response as he quietly walked out of the room and shut the door.

--

Author's Notes: Sorry if this chapter was insanely long! I just couldn't stop writing.

Also, one frustrating question: Is it angel food cake or angel fruit cake that Baron has at the Bureau?? I keep getting confused because a majority of the Cat Returns fanfics I've read use 'angel fruit cake' and when I listen to Baron's line on the movie it sounds like he says 'angel food cake' and the cake doesn't really look like angel food cake...-insert increasingly annoying rambling here- Anyway, you get my point. I decided to use 'angel fruit cake' before confusing myself even more xD Sorry! The little things that bug me -.-' EDIT: Okay so now I've changed it to 'angel food cake' since that's what a majority of you guys are saying. I thought that's what Baron said '

Thanks to 10tailwolfdemon, Nonimouse, Bambi4ever, The Spike Dragon, and Thundercat for your wonderful reviews! I can't believe the story hadn't even been up for 24 hours and I was already getting reviews the moment I got home today. POSITIVE reviews at that. You don't know how happy it makes me that you guys like it :D I just hope I don't disappoint you as the story progresses. And thanks, Thundercat. I saw "Whisper of the Heart" before I saw "The Cat Returns" and so I made a little reference to it in this chapter. I'm trying not to tamper too much with either storyline. (And yes, there is a portrait of the Baroness – or at least it looks like the Baroness to me – in the Bureau if you didn't notice before. I had just noticed it in the movie last night xD)

The next chapter might take a little longer. Not quite sure exactly what I want to do with it. Plus I'll be introducing the duke in the next chapter and I'm struggling with his character a little bit because I'm trying to make him truly tangible and black-hearted. Not to mention time constraints with school and my rigorous classes and club/team stuff. But stay tuned! I'll try to not make you wait too long :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli. I also do not own "Si tu n'étais pas là." That belongs to Fréhel, rest in peace.

Chapter 3

Haru was in a wondrous state of liminality, in the glorious midpoint between asleep and awake. She had had euphoric dreams the night before and she kept her eyes shut just to make sure she could keep them in her memory. As she was conscious, her mind could not stop conjuring other good daydreams. She didn't want to get up just yet. She wanted to lie still and drown in the happiness of it all.

When she finally decided that she should get up, she stretched the weariness from her muscles and opened her eyes. A puzzled look crossed her face as she sat up and looked around at the yellow room enlivened by the budding sun. _Where am I?_ she thought. Then she remembered. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was laughing at Muta and Toto fighting again with Baron observing, bored. _Baron…_ Her face suddenly filled with heat at the thought of Baron carrying her to this room like a groom carrying his newly wedded wife to their bedroom to consummate. Haru tried to shake the heated fantasies from her head as she got up to look at herself in the mirror.

Her clothes were slightly wrinkled but decent otherwise. Her hair was a big mess, however. Random hairs stuck out into the air, disheveled from the pins that had kept her bangs back. She combed her hair as best as she could with her fingers. She found some extra ties in the pocket of her work pants and used them to hold the two braids she made with her hair. She figured braids would hide most of the messiness. She looked back in the mirror. _Better_, she thought, nodding to her reflection in reassurance.

She opened the bedroom door and looked outside before she stepped out. The corridor was unfamiliar to her. But she saw the stairs and tiptoed her way up as to not make any noise. She sighed in relief at the familiar yellow and green walls of the Bureau. She wondered where Baron was until she looked at the couch.

This was the first time Haru had ever seen Baron sleeping in any form. He was lying on his back on the couch with his outer arm slung over his stomach and the other arm tucked between his body and the couch. His eyes were closed and gave him a serene air to his face. Even in sleep, he looked like he still held his dignified posture. His position reminded her of a saint's effigy, lying on their back in all of their glory with their hands placed over their abdomen to retain their mighty nature. He still looked so sure and professional. Yet he looked like any other person seeking relaxation and comfort. It made Haru's heart stop in her chest.

She walked over behind the arm where his head laid and studied his face for a moment. The muscles above his eyes where a human's eyebrows would be were completely lifeless in their current inutility. She could hear his soft breath drawing and releasing as he slept. He wasn't even awake but she still blushed at how even more attractive he was to her in his calm state. She leaned over to bring her face closer to his head. Did she dare? Reluctantly, without giving herself time to question, Haru lowered her lips slowly to his head and planted a soft, delicate kiss on his crown, careful not to wake him.

She raised her head up again to look at his face. But for a moment she was distracted by an object resting in Baron's hand, the one sandwiched between his body and the couch. It was a black silk pouch, scrunched shut at the mouth by a golden string. Curiosity getting the best of her, Haru reached over as carefully as she could to see if she could get it from his hand…

"Mmm…Haru?" Baron mumbled. Abruptly, his eyes just opened. No blinks or batting eyes to warn her of his awakening. Just opened and staring at Haru. _Am I still dreaming?_ he thought to himself. He had never been graced with such a blessing of seeing Haru's angelic face his first waking moment with the sunlight surrounding her like clouds.

"Ahh!" Haru yelled, surprised, dissolving Baron's vision in a flash. She backed up, scrambling away from him, and ended up hitting the dresser beneath the Baroness's portrait. The blue bowl on it nearly fell and Haru clumsily caught it in her scared state, the bowl constantly slipping from her hands like a newly caught fish still slippery with water. Her hands were shaking tremendously and her heart had jumped up to beat hard and fast.

Baron jumped to his feet defensively. He definitely hadn't expected to scare her so badly. "Haru! Are you all right?!"

"Y-yes—_hic!_—I'm fine…" Haru said shakily, her head spinning. The fright scared her into hiccupping as she sat crouched in a near-fetal position by the dresser. She was clutching onto the blue bowl for dear life like a child would with a teddy bear.

Baron's mind was basked in guilt. He hadn't meant to frighten her _this_ badly to the point where she looked as if she were being threatened by a burglar.

"Here, come on now," Baron said, putting one hand on her back and another on her elbow. He tugged on her elbow slightly to lead her up onto her feet. She was still staring down at the ground with her lips clenched together tightly and her eyes wide with a crazed look. He wrenched the bowl from Haru's crossed arms locked in a death grip. He placed it back onto the dresser. He struggled to pull Haru's arm out from its rigid stance. He rested her hand on his as if in a dance and led her to the couch.

"Haru, I'm so sorry," Baron said softly, sitting next to her with his hand stroking her back and the other still holding her hand. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Really, Baron, it's—_hic!_—okay."

Baron smiled as he tried to suppress chuckling at how cute she appeared hiccupping. "Here, I'll get you some water for those hiccups."

He went over to where he kept his tea supplies. He took an empty pitcher and dipped it into the bucket of water. He poured it into a glass, the ringing pitch of the glass heightening as the clear liquid filled the cup, and handed it to Haru who took it gently with her trembling hands. She chugged down the water and put the empty glass onto the table as she gasped for air.

"I'm terribly sorry, Haru. I hadn't expected you to be hovering over me when I woke up," Baron apologized again. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I wasn't sure if you were awake or just resting," Haru lied as best as she could. "So I was looking at your face to make sure."

"Ah, I see," Baron said. "Well, I can assure you I was asleep but next time, just shake me and I'll hop right awake."

"All right," said Haru, nodding.

Baron went over to the table by the door where the vase of yellow flowers rested. He then went over to his desk and pulled out a wooden phonograph from behind it with a big, golden horn protruding from it. He also pulled out a record encased in a paper sleeve.

"What's that?" Haru asked, watching him look at the case.

"It's an old record," Baron said. "It's a recording from 1934 by a famous French singer named Fréhel. I seem to recall Nishi listening to it numerous times while I was in his antique shop."

"If Nishi was listening to it, how did you get the record player and the record?" Haru asked.

Baron chuckled. "I found that the miniaturizing potion I gave you could be used on things other than people. Just a drop on an object and it's done."

Baron set the record onto the player and turned it on. The record began to spin. He moved the arm over the spinning record and gently placed the stylus in the groove. The pretty strings intro of the song began to seep through the horn. Baron walked over to Haru and extended his hand, offering her a dance. Haru hesitantly took his hand and he led her behind the couch to the big empty space of floor in front of the entrance to the Bureau. She placed her free hand on his shoulder while Baron placed his hand on her waist. He stepped back and propelled her to follow him.

"You know I'm a lousy dancer, Baron," said Haru, trying her best to follow his steps. Dancing was difficult for her and the song was played very freely, making it hard for Haru to grasp a repetitive rhythm.

"Don't worry," Baron said. "Trust me. You're doing fine. I just thought it'd be nice to distract you from your fright."

Haru smiled at him.

"_If you weren't there, how would I live_?" said the French words as the record played.

"What is she saying?" Haru asked, fascinated by the lovely words but not understanding their meaning.

"_I wouldn't know this happiness that intoxicates me."_

"I don't have the exact translation of the song," said Baron, "but the song consists of the woman singing to her lover. She's wondering how she would live if he weren't there. Nishi often listened to this if he was thinking of Louise."

"Oh…" Haru said as they continued their waltz.

"_When I'm in your arms, my joyous heart gives up."_

Haru and Baron kept their eyes locked on the other in a stare. Haru mentally kept trying to count the three beats of the waltz in her head as she followed Baron's lead. But her mind was swimming in romance. And the nature of the song wasn't helping either.

"_How would I live if you weren't there?"_

"_I sometimes have, despite of me, some insane fears. Even a night without seeing you upsets me." _

Haru was reminiscing about the time when Baron had rescued her from the Cat Kingdom. He had waltzed with her just like this when he was trying to help her escape, guiding her so she practically floated on the air. But this time was different. Her heart beat ten times as fast as that time now that she knew who this person was and she felt above the clouds.

And she drew in the words of the song. For Haru, she had no idea of the words' translation. But she could feel the woman's pain as she pondered terrible thoughts of being without her lover. How would Haru's life have turned out had she not experienced that adventure? What would she do if she hadn't met her new friends? Her friends at the Cat Kingdom? Toto? Muta? Baron?

Haru had no idea whether Baron could really die or not. He was a statuette. Did he have a lifespan? Then Haru began to question: how would Baron feel once she was old and wrinkly? What would he think when he was forever youthful while she grew closer to the brink of death by every breath she drew? The thought made her heart sink. And if he could die…Haru didn't want to think of that.

She just wanted this life so badly. Being with Baron, dancing with him, letting herself being carried by him to bed. If only he knew how she felt…

"_You return and suddenly more sadness because you know to erase it with a caress."_

Baron was thinking of Haru as well. His first dance with her, regardless of whether it was only a way of trying to make an escape, was bliss. She was beautiful regardless of her half-human, half-cat form and her beauty was enhanced by her yellow gown. On the dance floor, he wanted to guide her and help her in this time of trouble. Something about her had made him realize that the moment she came to the Bureau, his life was hers. He had devoted himself to protecting her whenever he needed her. She had become his secret priority.

He could imagine this kind of life. He could imagine continuing his work at the Bureau and having beautiful Haru by his side. He wanted to dance with her every night, make her tea, put her to bed, wake up to her face in the morning, hold her, kiss her. But he couldn't say the words. He didn't know what it would do to her. And so he wanted to say it in any little form possible. And he continued to stare into her marvelous brown eyes as if channeling his love to her.

"_If you weren't there, how would I live? I wouldn't know this happiness that intoxicates me."_

The two continued to dance wordlessly across the floor in this small space. But they were waltzing in the clouds despite these earthly limitations. The words of Fréhel could not be understood by them but they echoed in their heads like a relentless mantra. The only subliminal message or translation that they could understand was "_Say it…say it…say it…"_

"_When I'm in your arms, my joyous heart gives up. How would I live if you weren't there?"_

As the song came to a close, they stopped and continued to stare into each other's eyes. There was silence now but their deep breaths seemed to break it. The question that entered into both of their minds was "_What now?"_ Baron was the first to make a move. He barely realized that he had released Haru's hand to place his on the other side of her waist. Haru put her hand on the closest place: his free shoulder. But they still didn't know what to say. Without knowing it, their hands were pulling them closer to each other and their lips twitched as if they were about to say something…

_Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!_ went the grandfather clock.

On impulse, they both turned to look at the time. 10:00 AM. Haru froze. Her shift at work had already begun.

"Oh no! I'm late!" Haru shrieked. Without thinking, she sprinted to the stairs and down into the corridor. Without so much as closing the door, she began throwing off her blouse and skirt and shimmying into her work clothes.

Baron followed her into the corridor. He figured if she needed a breakfast she would need it now. "Haru, do you want—?" he began, about to walk in to see if she needed assistance. Instead, in a split second, he was greeted with the sight of Haru practically half naked. She was in her work pants and had her arms bent and raised with her white work shirt stretched over them as she proceeded to slip it over her lacy, flesh-colored bra. Immediately, Baron wished he hadn't walked in.

"BARON!" Haru shrieked the moment she saw him, trying to cover herself and hide her beet red face.

Baron quickly stepped outside so he was in the corridor next to the doorway to her room. "Apologies!" he shouted over the ruffling of clothes. His own cheeks were flushed red. The more he tried to erase the image from his mind, the more he thought of it.

"It's okay!" Haru shouted back after a long struggle with her shirt with no time to reflect on what Baron just saw. Now fully dressed, she ran out of the room and up the stairs with Baron trailing behind.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Baron asked, breaking into a fast walk and shaking off the vision momentarily.

"No thanks!" Haru replied quickly as she reached the door. "I gotta go!"

"You're going to work like that?" Baron asked quizzically with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" Haru asked, confused as she was about to turn the door handle. Then it hit her: she was tiny. "Oh." Haru's eyes widened in realization.

Baron laughed. "Here," he said, grabbing a tiny bottle off of the table by the door. This time, it was a small vial filled with red liquid. "Drink this and you'll be your usual size again."

Haru took it from him and analyzed it quickly. She smiled at Baron and said, "Thank you for everything!" Happily, she gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. She captured the picture of him and his red cheeks before running out the door.

Realizing she was getting away from him and that he suddenly didn't want her to leave just yet, Baron ran out of the door as well. Not quite sure what to say, he stuttered, "Erm…d-don't you want to wait for Muta to escort you?!"

"No time! Gotta go! Thank you!" Haru replied. And then she was out of his view. Baron was left standing there outside the Bureau. His nerves were tricking him into believing that Haru's lips were still touching his cheek and he raised his hand to the rouge she created there.

Haru was running fast but she couldn't suppress the wide grin on her face. "Yes!" she shouted to herself as she ran. She had kissed him! Not on the lips but still…she had made him blush! She had finally taken a step forward. Nothing could compare to her euphoria at this moment. She only regretted not staying longer; it wouldn't have made her any less late for work. She was high on Cloud 9 and she couldn't stop running.

Haru couldn't stop smiling even as she skipped into work.

"Haru, you're late!" Ayame commented.

"I know!" Haru said perkily. She just danced behind the counter and began taking orders.

"What has gotten into you??" Ayame asked, confused by such a happy reaction to being late for work.

"I just had a really good morning!" Haru replied. "That's all!"

Ayame just looked at her incredulously as Haru enthusiastically went to get people coffee.

Throughout her whole shift, Haru's happiness couldn't be contained. She seemed to skip and dance through everything and couldn't stop singing the melody to "Si tu n'étais pas là." It was as if she and Baron had never stopped waltzing.

At the end of the day, Haru skipped out of the café where Muta was waiting.

"Chicky!" Muta whispered. "You comin' to the Bureau today?"

"I can't today!" Haru replied as subtly as she could. "I spent the night there. Mom is probably worried sick not knowing where I am. I'm sorry! Tell Toto and Baron too."

"Yeah, sure," Muta said as Haru walked away. "Baron's gonna be missin' you," Muta mumbled.

Haru made her way home as the sky began to turn dark. Even then, she couldn't stop thinking of her stay with Baron. She began to fantasize about any future visits and what should happen should she "accidentally" fall asleep again.

As she turned the corner into an alleyway, all she saw was a giant group of cats. They were still and did not stop to let her aside. At her approach, they stood up on their hind legs. Haru forced a gulp down her throat. _Oh no…they're from the Cat Kingdom…_ she thought. As they stood, she saw that all of the cats were as black as night, well hidden by the growing darkness, and a majority of them were draped in flowing black cloaks. Beneath the hoods, bunches of golden feline eyes were on her.

But the group in the front was different. Four cats each removed their paw from their cloak to reveal their staves. Beneath their hoods, Haru could just observe that each cat had three white stripes starting at the head.

Haru turned her attention to the cat that was front and center. He was the only cat uncloaked out of the group. His wavy fur seemed to be the darkest and was a bit long and shaggy as if he hadn't been groomed in awhile. He was the only one without the white stripes on him. He sported a European, all black, 17th century outfit. He wore a sleek doublet with a broad, flowing cape stretched over one shoulder and fanning out behind him. He also wore breeches with stockings beneath them. Cuffed boots also hid his cat feet. His clothes were decorated with fine, elaborate embroidery, their coloring a shade lighter than the rest of the clothes.

What were most startling were his eyes. They were a color unlike any Haru had ever seen. His eyes were as silver as the moon and the cold abyss of slit pupils seemed to be a weapon all on their own. The contrasting colors of light and dark were eerie, especially since they were one of the few things that seemed to be distinguishable among his dark features. Haru went cold with goose bumps.

One of the cats with a staff stepped forward. Clearing his throat, he proclaimed in a lackadaisical voice, "Miss Haru, I give you Duke Don Cassius Armistead."

This Duke stepped forward with his head high. He looked up at Haru with his creepy silver eyes and scanned her face for a moment. Then his lips curled into a greedy smile to reveal abnormally sharp teeth as equally menacing as his eyes.

"My, my," he began, speaking with an English accent. Haru could hear hunger in his baritone voice as he seemed to speak with a kind of cynicism and anticipation. "You've become even more attractive since the last time I see you."

Haru blinked, utterly confused. "Have we met?" Haru asked.

"No, but I saw you two years ago," the Duke replied, "when it was so sure that you were to marry Prince—or, rather, _King_ Lune," he corrected with obvious disgust.

"Oh," Haru said, still confused. "What do you want?"

"Why, my dear," he said again. "Why else would I come see such a pretty lady like yourself?"

Haru raised an eyebrow, puzzled, still unsure about what he meant.

"I have come here to ask for your hand in marriage, Miss Haru."

Haru's eyes widened. _No. No. No. No! No! No! NO!!!_ "Not again!"

The Duke stood unmoved, his smile remaining perfectly in place.

Haru took a few steps closer with her face tightened in annoyance and anger. "What is with you and you cats?! I refused to marry Prince—er—King Lune and I refused to marry the Cat King! Please understand that I don't plan to marry you either!"

A twisted, throaty laugh rolled through the Duke. "Ah, you may not want to but I assure you that you will, Miss Haru."

"How so?" Haru challenged.

A low chuckle trembled in the Duke's throat. "Tell me, my dear. How is old Baron von Gikkingen?"

Haru froze. Her skin erupted in goose bumps. An invisible blast of cold seemed to cut at her flesh. _No…not Baron…not Baron…_ "No…"

The Duke gave another one of his evil laughs. "Ah, now you catch my drift. You see, your hand in marriage is very important to me. You must marry me, Miss Haru. I will not have it any other way."

"Why?!" Haru shouted. "Why is marrying me so important to you?!"

"I have my reasons which I don't plan to reveal to you until you agree on marrying me."

"So you expect me to marry you without question?!"

The Duke laughed again, clearly entertained by her anxiety. "Of course not, my dear. I expect you to marry me for the sake of your little friends at the Bureau. Marry me and they're spared."

Haru's knees began to shake. All she could hear in her head were the imaginary screams of her friends. All she could see was the Bureau, destroyed by who knows what. She dropped to the ground and tried to breathe.

The Duke laughed once more and approached her. "Goodness," he muttered as if watching a child throw a ridiculous tantrum. "Tell you what, my dear. I'll give you a week to think it over. But go anywhere near the Bureau and my force will be taking you to the Cat Kingdom immediately."

Haru looked up as she heard his paws retreat. "Think about it, dear," the Duke said, his eyes focused on her as he backed away. "Make the right choice."

Each cat grabbed a side of their cloak and threw it around them. And in a swirl of cloaks, the cats vanished into the darkness.

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Author's Notes: Sorry if I made you guys wait too long!

First off, about the song. I know part of the policy is not putting music lyrics in here. I originally wanted to put the actual French words in there (I'm a lover of the French language, by the way, since I've been learning it for over three years). I'm hoping the translation of the lyrics allow me to kind of go around that little tidbit. If not, I can promise you I'll take the lyrics out entirely.

Also, the Duke's voice is inspired by many different voices. I know you can't hear his voice the one I have in mind is inspired by the guy who played Anton Ego's voice in "Ratatouille" and Hugo Weaving's voice in "V for Vendetta." Basically, it's inspired by those sort of distinct, baritone, suave English voices.

I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good. School kept me very busy and I also just went through a very terrible thing. My boyfriend of three years broke up with me just this weekend and I'm trying desperately to get him back and get over the pain. So please wish me luck with that. I desperately need it.

Thank you 10tailwolfdemon, kittydemon18, Bambi4ever, The Spiked Dragon, Thundercat, Nonimouse, kat, random person, and Water-Lyly for your wonderful reviews! Thanks also to YarningChick for reviewing. I admit I was afraid of what you'd think about the story since I noticed you had written so many and you're practically an expert at "The Cat Returns" fanfics. I hope I don't disappoint you.

I'll begin working on the next chapter ASAP.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 4

Haru sat upright in her bed. Her wide eyes were aimed at the wall in front of her but she wasn't seeing it. She was seeing the replaying of images of destruction. All she could see was broken pieces of green and white wood scattered everywhere and stumps of wall where the Bureau should be, destroyed by some unknown force. There were moments where she could see Muta, Toto, and Baron lying in the rubble. Muta would be covered in dirt, unmoving. Toto would be still with his feathers scattered all around him, no longer able to fly. Baron would be motionless with his emerald eyes forever closed and his head lolled to the side. What would be more frightening is when Haru couldn't see them at all. No remains. Nothing. Completely destroyed.

Haru drew her knees up and rested her chin on them. She wrapped her arms around them and squeezed tight as if there was nothing else she could hug for comfort.

_What should I do??_ she asked herself over and over again. Each time she asked herself this question, there was never a certain, for sure, will work plan that arrived. It was all a matter of chance.

She mentally reviewed her possible plans that she had come up with.

1) She could try to go to the Bureau. She knew that the Duke had warned her against going there. But she knew exactly where to go. If she could just run fast enough, she could make it without his henchmen tracking her down. Yet again, her size alone made her vulnerable. She still had some trouble following Muta's cat ways of getting to the Bureau. Surely the Duke's cats would be able to reach her before she could reach the Bureau. The idea of shrinking herself had come to mind until she remembered that that vial was still at the Bureau. And making herself bigger would be no help.

2) She could tell Muta. Muta could then go to the Bureau and tell Toto and Baron what's happening. But she knew if the Duke's cats were watching, they'd take her to the Cat Kingdom before Muta could even reach the Bureau.

3) She could marry the Duke. Not Haru's favorite plan. This was her last resort should no other plan follow through. She didn't want to marry the Duke. He was a dark and sinister cat and she would never be happy with him as her husband. But if it came down to exchanging her personal happiness in return for the lives of Toto, Muta, and Baron, she would do it with no questions asked.

She grunted in frustration and fell back onto her bed. "I hate this!" she muttered to herself. She jumped up five feet in the air with her heart jumping up a few notches when her alarm clock suddenly began ringing. She landed back down on her bed with a squeak of the mattress as she turned to her big white cat alarm clock (formerly a cow alarm clock, but yet again it's Muta…), on which she painted an ear dark to resemble Muta, and smacked her hand down on the top to stop the beeping.

Haru let out a sigh. _I should've been waking up NOW instead of tossing and turning all night thinking of what to do_. Her eyes suddenly drooped as she felt the impact of how much sleep she lacked. She got up and threw off her pajamas with indifference as she changed into her work clothes. Wearily, she dragged her feet down to the kitchen and dispassionately went through making tea and preparing some breakfast. She fumbled the food and drink around in her mouth and swallowed without really tasting. Haru grunted in annoyance at her inability to focus. She left the breakfast on the table for her mother and went out the door to go to work.

After a long, unfocused walk complete with occasional stumbles, Haru reached the café. She didn't even notice Ayame looking at her worriedly as she made her way behind the counter.

"Haru, you look terrible!" Ayame said. "Didn't you get any sleep?"

Haru sighed. "Not really." She passed Ayame unenthusiastically as she went to go get an apron.

The day went through as a blur. Haru tried her best to pay attention to the customers but her eyes kept drooping and her mind kept wandering to what she should do about her situation. A few times, Ayame had to pinch her awake.

When her shift finally ended, Haru hung up her apron and made her way out from behind the counter.

"Haru, are you sure you're all right?" Ayame asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Haru replied tiredly. She walked out the door, thankful for the day to be over, and saw Muta sitting there on the seat. He raised his head attentively as she approached.

"Hey, chicky," Muta said. His eyes widened a little at her fatigued appearance. "Wow, what happened to you?"

"I just didn't get very much sleep," Haru answered.

"How come?"

"I had a lot on my mind."

"Ah. You up to going to the Bureau then?"

Haru's spirits lifted at this. This was her chance!

"Yeah! I—" Haru began. But then she saw them. No one else seemed to notice them but beneath an empty table inside of the café were two of the Duke's cats. She saw them wrapped in their little cloaks and their golden eyes were watching her every move.

Haru, annoyed at having her chance to get to the Bureau taken away, made a loud, semi-genuine yawn. "Actually, Muta," she said, "I think I'm gonna go home. I'm really, really tired. I didn't get enough sleep and I think I might collapse soon enough if I don't take a nap or something."

"You can always sleep at the Bureau if you want, kiddo," Muta suggested. "Since you fell asleep at the Bureau, I'm sure Baron wouldn't mind if you rested there." _In fact, he'd like it if you did, _Muta scoffed in his head.

"I'm sorry, Muta. I don't wanna worry my mom again."

"All right," Muta said. "Take care of yourself." _Baron's gonna have to also._

"I will. Thanks!" Haru said, putting on a fake, cheerful smile.

She walked away, trying not to look suspicious. _Stupid cats!_ she yelled in her head all the way home, cursing the Duke's cats. She could've easily escaped to the Bureau had the Duke's cats not been there. This was gonna be tough…

_But wait!_ Haru thought, her eyes widening in revelation as she crawled into bed later that night. _There _were_ only two of them. Maybe I could sneak past them if there are only two of them! I might just make it to the Bureau in time! Tomorrow, I'll try._

But it would be to no avail. Haru went to work the next day and, once again, Muta asked her if she was coming to the Bureau. Haru only saw more cats. Not only were the Duke's cats watching her from beneath tables inside the café but also from across the street, down the sidewalk, and even on the awnings of the surrounding shops. Haru grunted in annoyance at the surveillance she was under. For the next few days, Haru had to make up some excuse to Muta about why she couldn't come to the Bureau. Every time, Muta had to come back to the Bureau and face Baron to tell him that Haru couldn't make it to the Bureau. For example, on the fourth night, Muta returned to the Bureau.

"Hey, Baron," he said as he scooted inside.

"Hello, Muta," Baron greeted perfunctorily. "Where is Haru?"

Muta gulped his nervousness down quickly and said, "She can't make it again. She has to help her friend Hiromi with something."

"Ah, I see," Baron said, trying to keep his voice from falling.

"You know, it's unusual for her to be so busy," Muta added, voicing his suspicion.

"I suppose, but perhaps she really does have a lot on her plate," Baron said, averting his head to stare off in the distance. His eyes seemed to be slightly narrowed and squinted with his "eyebrows" forking and then curving in distress. His normally straight posture seemed to form into a subtle hunch of disbelief.

_Poor Baron…_ thought Muta, frowning.

_Poor Baron_…thought Haru at that same moment, lying in her bed. She was on her back with her hands beneath her head, cradling her head as she stared at the ceiling. The memories of her failed attempts at escape clouded her mind. Frustrated, she rolled over so her face was buried in the pillow and let out a muffled scream into it.

She sat up and looked at her window where a plant sat on the sill with one blue curtain tied to the side as if to showcase it. Bored, Haru crawled over to the window. The street below was dark and lifeless compared to the daytime. Now there was nothing passing through the lights illuminating the streets, not even the usual neighborhood cats.

_Cats…_That's when it hit. _No cats…there are absolutely no cats watching me right now…_

Haru's heart beat rapidly. _This is my chance!_ Haru jumped off of her bed and threw her closet doors open. She tore through her clothes and threw some jeans and a white T-shirt on her bed. Her hands shook with excitement as she undid the buttons of her night shirt. In the process, however, she accidentally pulled one of the buttons off. Too preoccupied to worry, she quickly went through the buttons and threw it somewhere in her room. She shimmied out of her bottoms and fought with the jeans as she tried to get her legs through, hopping around the room on one leg. Once she had gotten them on, she tore through her bras and put on a flesh-colored one before throwing on the shirt. She threw on some ankle socks and sneakers and hastily went to the door.

Carefully and ever slowly, she turned the knob of her door and eased it open. She was wary of making the door squeak or creak as she opened it enough for her to slip her body through. She tiptoed to the front door and just as carefully opened it and stepped outside.

The cool night air immediately gave her goose bumps. The silence of the streets deafened. Haru took a deep breath. _The Bureau…the Bureau…_she repeated in her head. As she mentally reviewed the way there, she sprinted.

She ran and ran without any thought of stopping. _Baron! Muta! Toto! I'm coming!_ she yelled to them in her head. She ran until she reached the café. When she saw it, she couldn't help but smile to herself. Enthused, she ran faster with the boost of confidence. She made her way down the streets until she found the first alleyway. As she proceeded to step onto the brick wall, she saw a shadow fly above her and managed to see a glimpse of a cape.

_Oh no…they've found me…_she thought in horror. She gulped down her nervousness. _Keep going, Haru!_ She went onto the brick wall as quickly as she could and climbed onto the awnings and windowsills. Her feet made echoes as they hit the metal. She made her way onto the giant overhang where she always saw a bunch of cars parked. _I'm almost there!_ She had made it halfway over the overhang when from every direction a cloaked cat came.

The Duke's cats had surrounded her in a circle. In a blur, they whipped off their cloaks and threw them in the air towards Haru. Haru could only stand and watch as the cloaks manifested themselves into a singular giant black cloth. It fell fast like a brick onto Haru and, as if it had a mind of its own, it twisted itself around her. And then, everything went black.

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Author's Notes: Finally! This chapter's done! I hope it's not too crummy. I swear it'll get better.

These past few weeks have been hard on me with the boyfriend drama. It's hard to focus on absolutely anything since he's always on my mind so I hope it's not affecting my writing too badly. I find it hard trying to write as effectively as I normally do with so much distraction. I'm still trying to get him back but for now we're on a brother-sister level. Hopefully all goes well with that. Now it's Thanksgiving break and I have the pile of homework from Hell . but I'll still try to write.

Thanks to LeafeKnight7, This is Me, get over it!, HyperMint, chocolatecheese08, tashie1010, chee-wit, Ara Goddess of the Broken, Alika Jones, and elmo-doodle for the reviews since my last update. I'll try to update again soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 5

Haru whimpered in the darkness. She blindly turned her head left to right and still there was nothing but black. The last thing she remembered was writhing around, trying to get out of the black cloth that ensnared her, and the cats chanting some incantation. And then she was picked up and thrown into something and landed on a hard surface. When she felt through the cloth, she felt dips—cracks—at regular intervals and determined it to be a wooden surface. She heard the creaking of wheels. _A carriage, maybe?_ she thought to herself. Time seemed to go excruciatingly slow as she fought the push to hyperventilation and tried to cope with being trapped in the unknown.

Eventually, whatever she was in came to a halt. The wheels stopped creaking. Haru's breath hitched in her throat. Just as it had been when she was captured, the cloth untwisted itself and flew off of Haru. It separated itself into cloaks again which wrapped around the cats that had captured her.

Haru looked at her surroundings. It was a night sky with a full moon hanging above. She looked behind her and saw a domineering black castle. It consisted of endless black spires with pointy roofs that seemed to curve up into sharp, thin poles. On one side of the castle was a lake in which the waters were as black as the sky. Surrounding the castle was a thick ring of dark black forest. She also looked at where she sat and found herself in a rickshaw being pulled by two of the Duke's cats.

One of them approached her and said, "Miss Haru, follow me."

"Where are we?" Haru asked immediately.

"The Cat Kingdom, miss," the cat replied.

Haru raised an eyebrow and looked around despite the inevitability of not finding a trace of sunshine. "This can't be the Cat Kingdom. It's never night at the Cat Kingdom."

"It is at the Duke's castle. Now come." The cat began walking down the stone pathway towards the elaborate, angular double doors to the castle. Reluctantly, Haru followed him. The other cats followed promptly. The party stopped at the double doors. The cat guiding Haru raised his front paws and the doors opened. Haru stared in wonder as she entered the castle. The walls were made of stone and the floor was lined in rich crimson velvet. On the walls were portraits bearing the eerie profiles of black cats in royal garb. The familiar ice silver eyes peered down at them as the group passed through the halls until they reached another pair of ornate black doors.

As they approached, the door opened to a vast room. On the side walls, tall glass windows framed by red curtains revealed the dark outside surroundings. A glass chandelier was suspended above but its beauty was tarnished by the cobwebs decorating it and the plain chains that held it up there. Revealed by the light of the chandelier was the Duke, sitting on a silver throne at the back center of the room. He sat in a casual pose with his arm propped up on the arm of the throne. His chin rested on his palm. One of his hind legs crossed the other. He flashed his dangerous smile as Haru approached.

"Your Highness—the girl, as you ordered," said the cat that led her there.

"Excellent," the Duke said with a hint of a purr. He stood up and approached Haru. "Miss Haru, welcome to my nocturnal palace."

Haru only stood and glared at the Duke. She only wished she could hurt him with her mind.

The Duke chuckled. "Does my castle displease you? You'll get used to living here, my dear, I'm sure," he said, turning to admire his home.

"I don't want to get used to living here," Haru said coldly. "I want to go home."

"I'm afraid that's not an option, my dear," said the Duke, turning his head in her direction. "I told you I will have no one else as my bride."

"Then why me?!" Haru exploded. "You could just as easily marry someone else! Why does it have to be me?!"

There was a short moment of silence, hesitation. The Duke turned and walked towards Haru until he stood right in front of her. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I really want to know," Haru said, staring at him straight in his icy eyes.

The Duke smirked a little. "I want your world."

Haru looked at him, puzzled. "Excuse me?"

The Duke turned away from her and paced. "Your world holds a great interest to me, Miss Haru. I am a powerful cat whether the other monarchs see that or not." He turned back to look at her. "Can you imagine the possibilities we cats could have if we controlled the human world?"

"What?!" Haru shouted, her eyes widening in horror.

"I want the human world," the Duke stated. "With the human world under feline control, our world will expand. We will conquer! We will show the humans what happens when they underestimate cats. Their powers will feed my own! The resources of the humans will mix nicely with ours and make our assets even more powerful than we could ever imagine! With the human world as our drone, the Cat Kingdom will flourish!"

"And you'll allow the human world to become a parasite just so the Cat Kingdom can grow?!"

"Yes," the Duke replied calmly. "The humans have subordinated us for long enough! It's time for them to make use to us."

"Well why do you need to marry me to do it?! You could easily conquer the human world without marrying me!"

"But I can't, my dear," the Duke said. "Without marrying you, I can't stop the Baron, you see."

Haru stepped back and covered her mouth. "Baron?!" she gasped.

"Yes, it will break the poor chap's little wooden heart. Capturing you _and_ marrying you. What a fascinating combination, don't you agree? Baron von Gikkingen is the only thing in the human world that stands in my way of conquest. He won't be able to function as long as you're in danger. Plus who knows what else I might be able to use you for in my plan to capture. You are the only human in a very long time to have come to the Cat Kingdom. There might be more I can use you for. But for right now, you're bait. Long story short, my dear, you are my key to winning the human world."

Haru gasped again and her eyes turned fierce. "How dare you! How dare you use me like this! I swear Baron will come for me and he will defeat you! You can't win against him!"

The Duke chuckled. "I beg to differ, Miss Haru. Would you like to see what I can do to the Baron?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Duke motioned one of the cats forward. One of the cloaked cats obediently approached and stood waiting. The Duke turned to him and swirled his paw around in the air in the cat's direction. In a blur of magic, the cat's form had twisted into an orange tabby cat with familiar emerald eyes wearing a top hat and suit. Before Haru, the Duke, and the cats stood the spitting image of Baron.

The Duke smiled proudly and waved his paw again but this time it was a swifter, sharper movement. The imitation Baron fell to his knees and shook under some invisible torture. No sound emitted from him as he squinted his eyes in pain and clenched his fists tightly. Tighter and tighter he squinted his eyes and clenched his fists and he began to shake as if he were about to fall.

Haru could not stand the sight. She knew it wasn't Baron but it was too real. "STOP!!!" she screamed finally, clutching at her hair with her hands and trying to shake the image from her head.

The Duke sighed and waved his hand again. The mock Baron fell his side on the ground and morphed back into the cat he really was. The cat was unconscious and barely breathing.

The Duke groaned in disgust. "Get that heap of fur off my floor," he snapped to the other cats. Two cats quickly walked over to the cat and lifted him by his limbs. They carried him out the door and into the hall.

Haru fell to her knees and bent herself over. Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. She covered her face and felt the hot tears wet them. The sight of Baron being tortured to death was too much for her to bear. She barely noticed the Duke approach her, standing above her in his domineering way.

"That's why I told you not to tell Baron anything and you were wise not to do so," the Duke said. "And believe me, I can do much more than what you have just seen. I hold the power to destroy, Miss Haru, and so I suggest that you do not test me. If he comes for you, I will kill him."

Haru could only respond with more sobbing.

"My attendants will take you to your chambers," the Duke continued, unmoved. "It is about ten o'clock in the human world. You will be roused in twelve hours. We will be having a ball in celebration of our engagement and we need to start preparing when you wake. The ball will begin at five o'clock human time and end at ten o'clock. The following day, we will marry."

Haru could not stop crying. The Duke sighed in annoyance and waved an irritated hand in the air. Two smoky black female cats came forward wearing black brocade caps from which flourished draping black veils. They urged Haru up by her elbows and led her out of the room. Haru continued to cry as the cats led her up what seemed to be endless numbers of hallways and staircases. They reached a small black door. One of the cats left Haru's side for a moment to open the door. It opened to a small, round room with a red velvet and gold bed. Across from the bed was rusty silver dresser with a mirror. On the dresser were some candles on either side of the mirror. The wall had a small window with rickety shutters. As the three walked in, a lamp glowed on the wall next to the door they passed through.

"This is your room, Miss Haru," said one of the cats in a misty voice. "Please call on us if you need anything."

Haru only sat on the bed and continued to cry. The two female attendants exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"Let's leave her alone," whispered the other cat in a silky voice. They nodded to each other and walked out, shutting the door behind them.

Haru collapsed on the red pillows and buried her face in them. The image of Baron suffering like that replayed over and over again in her head. She only wished she could strike the Duke and get away with it. The flood of horrible images would not stop. The Bureau destroyed…her friends either hurt or destroyed altogether…Baron suffering…the human world under the control of cats…marrying the Duke…Haru let out a muffled, frustrated scream in the pillows.

After a long time, when she had finally calmed down and stopped crying, Haru sat up on her bed. It was apparent that Plan #3 was the only option at this point. Hopefully Baron would find out later rather than sooner that she had disappeared. She had to marry the Duke and fast before Baron found out. She didn't want Baron to be hurt and the less he knew about the situation, the more of a chance he could have to stop the Duke and keep his own life out of danger.

Haru's stomach turned at the thought of waking up to this dreary castle everyday and sitting alongside the sick and twisted Duke. But maybe she could make it through just as long as she kept reminding herself that it was for the sake of her friends at the Bureau. And perhaps she had time. It didn't seem as if the Duke was _completely_ prepared to take over the human world yet. He had already decided to marry Haru without knowing what benefits he could get from her other than hurting Baron. She only hoped Baron could find a way.

Haru shook her head. She didn't know what she cared about more: the human world or her friends at the Bureau. The Duke would conquer the human world whether Baron knew about it or not. If he didn't come for her, the Duke would ambush the human world on surprise. If Baron did come for her, it would be worse. The Duke would kill Baron and then conquer the human world.

Haru decided she had to try to stop him on her own. She didn't know how but once she was married to the Duke, she would have at least some access to the castle. She could find a way if she really tried. Haru gulped at the thought of the obstacles ahead of her. She only hoped Baron would stay away.

_Oh please, Baron…don't come for me…whatever you do…stay away from here…_

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Author's Notes: Ah look what happens when you procrastinate on homework! :D It's probably really terrible but all I really wanna do is work on the story. I don't really feel like writing a crapload of history essays…although I probably should…-ramble ramble ramble-…

While I was writing this, the Duke totally reminded me of the movie "Cats and Dogs" when Mr. Tinkles says, "I'm sure you're all asking 'How could he possibly spread the allergy to the world?' So, if you open your World Domination pamphlets to page three, I will show you." xD

I hope you guys like the story so far. I hope I didn't create too many loopholes. I tried to make everything cohesive.

Thanks to Alika Jones, Bambi4ever, and Nonimouse for reviewing!

I'll try to update soon. I probably shouldn't because I gotta get all this homework out of the way but we'll see.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 6

"Miss Haru," a misty voice echoed.

"Hmmm?" Haru replied sleepily, rolling around and pulling the covers over her head.

"It's time to get up," said a silky voice. "We have to begin preparations for the ball tonight."

Haru sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and her blurry vision cleared to see the two female cats arranging the parts of a black dress. Haru swung her feet around to the floor and stood up. The cats motioned for her to undress. Haru slipped out of her T-shirt and jeans so she stood in her underwear. She let the cats come over and slip her into a gray, lightweight, open-neck chemise. Haru gasped for air at the unexpected tugs at her waistline. The cats were pulling tightly on the ties of her corset and Haru gasped with every jerk. They slipped on the black bodice, gown, and petticoat and pulled out the loose, gray sleeves of the chemise. They tied the sleeves up with black ribbon.

"I wonder how puffy my eyes are…" Haru said dispassionately as she walked over to the mirror on the dresser. She put her hand to her mouth and gasped at her appearance. Not only were her eyelids enlarged from crying but she had returned to her half-cat form. Two light brown cat ears poked from above where her human ears would normally be. Her human nose was replaced with a tiny, triangle-shaped, pink cat nose. She looked down and realized her hand wasn't a hand at all; it was a tan paw.

"Oh no! I'm turning into a cat again!" she exclaimed, panicked.

"Yes, but it's happening slower than normal," said the misty-voiced cat.

"Yes. Normally it happens much faster than this," added the silky-voiced cat.

_I wonder why…_thought Haru.

"Please come with us, Miss Haru," the misty-voiced one said. "The Duke is expecting you for a meal."

Haru followed the two cats and tried her best to remember all the directions to take should she need to return to her room. They led her to a large room. In the back of the room, the stones were raised so another step was created. On the sides of this step were small slopes to allow for walking onto the step. On the step was a long table set with all sorts of luxurious food, including biscuits that would never be seen in the human world and freshly-caught, high-grade tuna. On the left end of the table sat the Duke, smiling expectantly as Haru entered the room.

"Miss Haru. Please," he said, extending his hand towards the other side of the table.

Haru glared at him as she walked over to the right end of the table and sat in the vacant chair. The servants gave her a plate of biscuits and tuna. Haru stared at it for a moment before picking up her utensils. The only sound echoing in the room was the scrapes and clangs of silverware against the plate as the Duke ate and Haru shuffled her food around.

"You're not going to eat?" the Duke inquired.

"I don't have much of an appetite," Haru replied coldly.

"Hmph. Well to occupy yourself, I'll have my servants take you to the castle library when you're finished."

After moments and moments of silence, Haru still did not have the heart to eat. She just continued moving the food around on her plate.

"Are you quite finished then?" said the Duke, finally, after watching her shove her food around for so long.

"Yes, I am," said Haru.

The Duke looked at his servants who went to Haru's side. Haru stood up and let them escort her out of the room.

"Oh, and Miss Haru," the Duke called to her. Haru stopped without turning around. "Other than the rooms you've already been in, the castle library is the only room you're allowed to be in. Don't try to go into any of the other rooms for they are magically sealed."

Haru swung her head around to look at him. "Well, I'm sure we'll discuss those restrictions after the wedding," she said cynically. She turned back around and followed the servants out.

The servants led her down a few hallways until they reached a set of double doors. They opened the doors to a giant circular chamber. Lining the walls were bunches and bunches of bookshelves. Books filled every single corner of the shelves but they were covered in dust and cobwebs. Tables and chairs stood disorganized throughout the room. It was clear that people did not use this library nor take care of it often.

The servants waited outside the door as Haru looked around the shelves. She picked up anything that looked of interest and placed her tall stack of books on the edge of one of the tables. She pulled a chair up behind the table and took the top book off of the stack. She set the book on the table and opened it up to its crinkled, yellowing pages. Expecting to find words, Haru gaped incredulously when she found that there were small pictures, cat hieroglyphics of sorts.

_I forgot that cats use symbols and icons for their writing…_thought Haru, remembering when she received a list of gifts she was supposed to get. The gifts had been listed in the form of pictures and image like cat eyes and stick figures and birds.

Haru looked through the book, trying to make sense of the foreign symbols. There were times where she fully understood what the symbols meant and there were others where she was not quite sure. On the list she was given two years ago, she could only make sense of the symbols at the bottom which directly represented what she was to receive. In these books, she could not translate a full sentence or even recognize what a full sentence was in this language.

Haru read each book to the best of her ability. Most of the time, however, these were very short books. She would get downright frustrated at trying to translate the longer books and tossed them aside whenever they irritated her too much.

"I can't believe this is the only place I'm allowed to go…I can't even make use of this place!" Haru muttered to herself, throwing up her hands and falling back into her chair.

After getting lost and lost trying to translate, Haru fell asleep in her chair. She didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up. Unable to do much else, she grabbed another book from her stack and flipped through the pages, trying to make sense of the symbols.

She thumbed through the pages disinterested until she found one that caught her attention. Up until this page, all the pictures of stones and minerals had looked the same. But this drawing was too large to be a symbol and the stones looked peculiar.

The drawing on the page was of a cave colored a dusty purple. Random silver dots made the rocky walls appear to sparkle. At the mouth of the cave was a pile of oval-shaped stones. It was eerie since it appeared as if the stones were already cut to a natural shape and buffed. The stones were of a swirly, milky white color and the swirl of it in the center of the stone seemed to resemble a cat's round, pointed pupil. Oddly, multiple shards of these stones also surrounded the pile. The sparkles of the purple rock and the hypnotizing swirls of the stones seemed to draw her in as she moved her face closer to the picture, trying to look at it harder.

_What is this?_ Haru wondered. _I've never seen any stones like these before. They look so strange…_

"Miss Haru," said a misty voice suddenly. Haru jumped up from the sudden noise and threw the book closed in surprise. She turned to find one of the female cats staring at her dispassionately from beneath her veil. "It's time to get you ready for the ball," she said, unmoved by Haru's reaction. The silky-voiced attendant joined her and motioned for Haru to follow them.

They walked up the stairways and hallways until they reached a pair of double doors. The attendants each opened a door to reveal racks of fine clothing on the side walls. Haru looked at her half-cat reflection in the giant oval mirror resting on a platform against the wall in front of her. The attendants followed her inside and closed the doors as they did.

"The Duke has selected this for you to wear tonight," said the silky-voiced attendant. The other one helped her raise an elegant black dress. The bodice and petticoat was black but beautifully embroidered with gold thread and the black gown that went over it opened up in the middle to reveal the gold petticoat.

_It's lovely but doesn't the Duke like anything other than black??_ Haru questioned as the attendants helped her into the dress. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought her overall brown appearance was not flattered by the color of the dress. The attendants draped a large black veil over her head and worked a golden band around her head to keep it down. Haru raised an eyebrow. It would've seemed she was going to a funeral rather than a ball.

"Come, Miss Haru," said the attendants. "We will take you to the Duke."

Haru sighed and turned to follow them out. _Let's get this embarrassment over with._

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Author's Notes: Shortest chapter I've written for this story. The chapter seems a little bland and nonmoving, I know, but at least to me, it seemed weird to go into the ball in the same chapter. I dunno. But the next chapter will be the ball and, to answer HyperMint's question, Lune and Yuki will be making their appearance :)

I'll probably start writing the next chapter tomorrow (well, technically it's today since it's 1 AM xD). The last day of Thanksgiving break is tomorrow/today and I _still_ haven't done any homework! It's so terrible…but no focus and no motivation doesn't cut it. Writing this is much more satisfying. Though I did get my college apps done finally.

Thanks to chee-wit, Bambi4ever, Alika Jones, Acorn-Tree, Nonimouse, HyperMint, YarningChick (I'm glad you like it! I'm honored :D), Archon Dragon, chocolatecheese08, and hikarinozomi for your wonderful reviews! It seems I was asked a lot of questions this time. I already answered HyperMint's just now but the others will be answered as the story progresses. 'Til next update!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 7

The attendants led Haru to a giant grand hall where the ball was to be held. They ended up on a balcony with gold railings and a marble floor covered by a red velvet carpet. On either side of the balcony, a marble staircase, also covered by red velvet carpet, led to the main floor.

Haru observed the ballroom. The walls and floors here were, for once, not made up of stones. The walls made of gold (at least inside they were) and elaborately decorated with carvings of cats. The floor was made of granite where the colors were dark on the edges but crimson in the middle. Black banners with golden edges hung from the ceiling with the side profile of a black cat with familiar silver eyes completing the design. A long white table with endless plates and bowls of gourmet food lined either side wall under the domineering presence of tall windows with scarlet curtains that were tied up to let the essence of night in the room. Candles among candles lined the walls and made the gold glow bright. Far on the opposite wall was a giant entrance for guests. A gray and white cat in black, 17th century attire and a black hat with a feather stood on the side of it, ready to announce the name of whatever guest entered the ballroom. Small multiple doors at the side walls were open for any guest wishing to sit under the night sky on the terrace.

"Mmm, you look ravishing, my dear," said the Duke's baritone voice as he climbed the top of the stairs to greet Haru, a hungry smirk on his face. To match Haru's outfit, he wore a black doublet that was slashed to reveal golden material beneath it. The wired collar that flourished from his neck was also golden. He wore his usual black breeches and boots. On his head, he wore a golden crown with his usual onyxes instead of his typically silver crown.

Haru replied to his comment with silence.

The Duke approached to stand at Haru's right. "Everything is ready for tonight. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.'

_Hmph, I highly doubt it_, Haru retorted in her mind.

The small band just below the balcony began to play music as the guests entered. Cats came in their best dress through the giant entrance though the announcer hadn't announced anyone yet. The room began to echo with chatter as friends and neighbors talked while waiting for the remainder of the guests to arrive.

"Who exactly is invited?" Haru inquired, observing the great amount of cats filling the ballroom.

"All the royal members of the Cat Kingdom and those employed by them," the Duke answered.

"Then why hasn't the announcer called out the names of the guests?"

"The announcer need only announce the royals. They are the only ones of some importance."

_Jerk_, Haru thought in her mind, glaring at the Duke from beneath her dark veil.

Haru stood, thankful no one could see her shifting her legs beneath her gown through the long wait, as the guests continued to enter. She did not pay attention to any of the names that were called by the announcer. The names went through one ear and out the other.

"How long do we have to stand here?" Haru asked, fighting the urge to whine for her legs that cried for movement.

"Until all the guests have arrived," the Duke said. "The announcer will let me know when they all have come."

Haru frowned. She didn't know how long this guest list was. She continued shifting her legs to keep them moving, not paying attention to the activity of the ballroom. She gazed off in a random direction, her mind on the Baron. The setting seemed all too familiar. Here she was in a grand room full of happiness and joy while she stood here against her will. She wondered when the dancing would begin. She wanted to look at all the couples waltzing across the floor. Most likely, she would be waltzing soon too. But it wouldn't be with Baron. He wouldn't be here to rescue her from this awful place. Haru let two fresh tears slip unseen beneath her veil as her heart was wrenched with longing…

"Presenting King Lune and Queen Yuki, rulers of the Cat Kingdom!"

Haru's head snapped up. _Lune?! Yuki?! They're here?!_ she gasped in her head. _Of course they're here, dummy. The Duke did say that all the royal members of the Cat Kingdom were invited._ And so Lune and Yuki stood in the entrance, bowing and curtsying before the rest of the guests who clapped and mumbled to each other in excitement at the lovely couple. The two of them rose to reveal their spectacular outfits. Lune wore an embroidered, sky blue, pinked doublet and an ornate golden, pointed crown. Yuki looked darling in her sugar pink, satin dress with a tight bodice and matching petticoat. She wore a golden tiara on her head and continued to wear her trademark blush-colored bow around her neck. Haru took a moment to smile at the happy couple and how beautiful they looked on this night.

_If only I could say 'hi' to them without them recognizing me…_Haru wished, frowning.

A few more guests arrived before the band finally stopped and the guests turned their attention to Haru and the Duke on the balcony.

"My friends!" the Duke projected. "It is not often that I have balls or celebrations of any kind. But tonight is a special night for I come before you to announce that I have found a bride."

Gasps and mutters quietly echoed throughout the hall.

"This lovely _chaton_ next to me is to be my wife and the Duchess of this castle!" the Duke exclaimed triumphantly, evoking a wave of applause from the audience.

"I have organized this ball to celebrate our engagement. And so, my dear guests, enjoy!"

Another applause rolled through as the orchestra began playing a moderato waltz. The Duke took Haru's paw and together they descended to the floor. The other cats watched as they walked to the center of the floor and turned to face each other. Haru gulped and hoped she could follow the Duke's steps. Haru placed one paw on his shoulder and the other in his raised paw. The Duke took began to lead her and Haru tried her best not to stumble. Luckily, any mistake she made was hidden beneath her gown. The other couples joined in once they had started dancing. Haru did her best to follow the three beats of the waltz but was overcome with disgust at having to touch and dance with this deceptive cur. She had to look past the Duke's face to make it look like she was looking at him.

When the waltz was over, there were claps and the couples bowed and curtsied to each other. The Duke led Haru off of the dance floor so they could chat with the other guests. Haru faked smiles one by one as guests came up to congratulate their engagement.

The dreaded moment came when Lune and Yuki approached the Duke and Haru. Haru gulped, hoping they wouldn't recognize her beneath the veil.

"Duke," Lune addressed, bowing before the Duke with Yuki curtsying at his side.

"Your Majesty, I'm so glad you could make it," said the Duke, hiding a sneer. Haru could notice he was and wasn't trying to play nice.

"Congratulations on your engagement," said Lune.

"We are very happy for you," said Yuki, giving a small smile.

"Yes, thank you," said the Duke, returning the smile with an awkward one of his own.

"As you know, it is custom for the king to dance with the bride," Lune said. "I would like to fulfill this tradition if I may, Duke."

Haru gulped again. _Oh no…Duke, say no…please say no…_she found herself thinking.

"As long as you don't exploit this tradition like your father," the Duke said with a smile on his face.

"Ah, what a memory," Yuki commented, shaking her head with disapproval. Haru got the mental image of the ex Cat King with his creepy eyes on Yuki as he danced with her. She shivered at the thought.

"Of course not," said Lune, chuckling. "I will treat your bride with utmost respect." Lune turned to Haru and extended his paw. "Shall we?"

Haru nodded reluctantly and placed her paw in his offered one. Another moderato waltz began to play as Haru put her free paw on Lune's shoulder and they began to dance.

"I hope you and the Duke are happy together," said Lune, giving her a small smile.

Haru gave a nervous laugh and replied, "Yes. Thank you." She took a moment to look away from him, her eyes looking downward. She was still hoping he wouldn't recognize her.

Lost in her thoughts, she looked up suddenly when Lune gave a gasp of pain. Haru realized a little too late that she had stepped on his hind paw.

"No! I'm so sorry! I'm a meowsy dancer!" Haru apologized quickly, looking up at him with alarmed eyes. She cursed herself for saying 'meowsy.' She was beginning to talk like a cat again!

"It's all right," said Lune, smiling in reassurance. "No harm do—"

Lune's smile faltered when Lune began to gape at Haru midsentence. Haru gulped again. _Please don't recognize me…PLEASE don't recognize me…_

"Haru?!" Lune gasped, low enough so the other guests couldn't hear.

Haru winced. _He recognized me!!_

"_You're _the Duke's fiancée?! What in the world are you doing in the Cat Kingdom?!" Lune asked quietly, his mismatched eyes wide in horror.

"I can explain…" Haru said quietly.

Lune raised his head to look around the ballroom. He spotted Yuki near one of the tables of food, chatting with some other female cats. Yuki turned and met eyes with Lune who nodded his head in the direction of the terrace. The joyful smile was wiped off her face as she excused herself from them. When the waltz ended, Lune and Haru quickly bowed and curtsied to each other.

"Come with me," said Lune, motioning for Haru to follow him.

Haru followed him through the crowds of guests and dancing couples to a doorway to one of the terraces. The cool night breeze hit them as they entered the ambiance of the evening. Yuki turned from her place by the railing to go meet them.

"What's the matter, Lune?" Yuki inquired.

"It's Haru," Lune said, turning to Haru who was bowing her head in embarrassment.

"Haru?! Is that really you?!" Yuki gasped, trying to peek through the dark veil.

Haru looked around to see if anyone else was watching before she threw back the veil to reveal her slightly furry, tan face. "Yeah, it's me," she admitted sadly. "You two look wonderful."

"Oh my goodness!" Yuki said, throwing her arms around her. "It's been two years."

"How did you recognize me, Prince—er, King Lune?" Haru asked over Yuki's shoulder.

"Please, Haru, just call me Lune," Lune corrected. "When your head was bent I thought I saw hair. But when I saw your eyes, they were still slightly human. I'd recognize your brown eyes anywhere."

Yuki removed her arms from Haru and stepped back. "What in the world are you doing here, Haru?"

"It's a long story…" Haru replied weakly, repeatedly wishing this wasn't happening.

"Please let us hear it," said Lune.

Haru sighed and tentatively summarized, "Basically, the Duke captured me and is forcing me to marry him. He wants to lure Baron here since he's the only one who can stop the Duke from taking over the human world."

"Taking over the human world?!" Yuki repeated, her dazzling blue eyes widening in horror.

"I can't believe him…" Lune said through gritted teeth, peering inside the ballroom at the Duke through one of the windows. "I knew something was up with him. He has committed great crimes by doing this! Kidnapping a human…not to mention the giant treason he's created by daring to break the delicate balance between the Cat Kingdom and the human world and not informing me of such intentions." He turned back to Haru. "I will not allow this to go on in my kingdom. I will punish the Duke for his injustice, Haru, I promise!"

Haru nodded weakly, not sure how to respond to Lune's determination.

"Darling," Yuki said, turning to Lune, "we must hurry and tell Baron what is happening."

"Yes, I agree," said Lune, nodding in agreement.

"No!" Haru protested in despair, causing Lune and Yuki to turn to her in confusion.

"But why not, Haru?" Yuki asked. "Baron must know what's going on."

"The Duke will kill Baron if he comes here," Haru said, trying to keep back tears again. "I'm the bait to lure Baron here. You can't bring him here! I'll never be able to forgive myself if…" Haru couldn't say the next words. Instead, she began to shake with sobs.

"Oh, Haru…" Yuki said sympathetically.

"I am begging the both of you…" Haru struggled to continue, "please don't bring Baron here…"

Yuki and Lune exchanged worried glances. Lune pondered for a moment and finally said, "All right, Haru. But I will not stand for the Duke's actions. I will punish him for his injustices."

"If you must, do it after the wedding," said Haru. "I'm to marry him tomorrow."

Lune nodded.

"Haru, you can't seriously be going through with this!" Yuki said. "There must be a way to get you out of this situation! I know you're worried about Baron but you out of all people should know how strong he is. He won't submit to the Duke."

"There isn't a way out, Yuki," Haru said. "The Duke is powerful. I've seen it. He transformed one of his cats into Baron and tortured him right in front of me. I don't know what he can do to Baron and I don't wanna bring him here and find out. There's nothing I can do but play his game. I'll do whatever it takes to keep Baron, Muta, and Toto safe, even if that means sacrificing what I want."

Yuki and Lune gazed upon Haru with sadness in their eyes.

"I really must get back to him," said Haru. "I'm so happy to see you two again. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other since I'm to become a duchess."

Yuki hugged Haru tightly. "It was good to see you too." She withdrew from the embrace and put a paw to Haru's cheek. "Don't lose hope, Haru."

"We will find a way to get you out of this without anyone getting hurt," Lune reassured.

"Thank you," Haru said. She curtsied before them, threw her veil back over her face, and was gone in a hurry.

Lune and Yuki stood on the terrace for a long time, their thoughts troubled about Haru. They went inside and pretended to enjoy the ball. The guests began leaving when the clock struck 10 o'clock at night in the human world. While the guests left in excited chatter, Lune and Yuki journeyed back to their castle in disturbed silence.

"I don't feel at all safe leaving Haru here with the Duke," Yuki confessed to her love.

"I know. Neither do I, Yuki," Lune replied.

"What should we do?" Yuki asked. "I want to respect Haru's wishes but I'm sure there's a way to save her if we just try. I'm sure the Baron would be able to do something."

Lune pondered for a moment. "I want to respect Haru's wishes but I know there must be a way to save her. The Duke has only been so powerful relatively recently. If we can find out why, then we can strip him of his power. Baron will be able to help us and you and I both know how much he cares for Haru. We'll tell him to come to our castle."

Yuki nodded. "I only hope things go in our favor."

"We must try," said Lune, closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek affectionately against his queen's lovely white one. She closed her eyes and let a loving purr tremble in her throat as she nestled his cheek back.

The two of them enjoyed each other's presence for now, knowing that they must get down to some horrible business when they reach the castle.

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Author's Notes: Whew! Couldn't stop writing this one! I really wonder if I should write slower just to see the reactions I get to each chapter but I get so excited every time I finish a new chapter :) I'm thankful that I've gotten nothing but positive reviews on the story (and I'm hoping it stays that way).

So yeah…don't actually have much to say this time around xD

Thanks to chee-wit, Lunamoon12, YarningChick, EarthGurdian, and chocolatecheese08 for reviewing after the last update! And, seeing the outcome of this chapter, even I'm finally glad to bring our friends at the Bureau into the next chapter :D You don't know how long I've been waiting to write about them again. Stick around!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: For the love of Jack Black Jesus, please don't kill me for taking so long…. I was busy and wanted to make some changes but I didn't feel like keeping you guys waiting after such a long time already :P So here you are and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 8

Muta awoke, aching in his sprawled position in the chair in front of the Bureau. He shut his eyes in defense from the bright sunshine as he swept the Cat Kingdom newspaper from where it was draped over his face. He blinked his eyes as they adjusted to his bright surroundings, the images slowly sharpening into focus. Muta stretched and groaned to release the sleep from his muscles. His huge belly began to grumble. Muta rubbed it absentmindedly.

"Mmm…time for me to find some breakfast," said Muta enthusiastically, licking his lips at the imaginary, unknown taste. He left the paper on the chair and dropped down onto his front paws to look for some food.

He made his way through a few alleyways and reached a small neighborhood. He found a small, peach-colored house by the corner of the street. He leapt onto the wall in front of it and saw a young, fair-haired boy, perhaps ten years of age, kicking a soccer ball around in the yard. Muta observed the boy for a moment before yelling "Shiro!" to get his attention.

The young boy looked up to see who meowed and stared at the cat with his big, bright, hazel eyes. A wide grin came across his face. "Muta! You here for some breakfast?" the kid asked.

"You betcha, kid," replied Muta, his answer coming across as a meow once again.

"All right!" said Shiro. "I'll go inside and see what we got!" Shiro rushed inside the house.

"Heh, what an energetic kid," Muta chuckled to himself.

The boy came out a moment later with a gigantic plate in his hands. On the plate was a small stack of blueberry pancakes. "My mom said it's probably not a good idea to give you these but from what I've seen, your stomach can handle anything," said Shiro.

Muta jumped down from his spot on the wall and approached Shiro who knelt down and put the plate on the ground in front of him. Greedily, Muta began practically smothering his face in the pancakes, taking out whole chunks of the stack with each bite. Shiro watched him eat and laughed at Muta's eating antics. He petted Muta affectionately as he picked up the dirty plate.

"I hope you liked it!" Shiro said, smiling at Muta.

"No match for my stomach!" Muta meowed in response before hopping back onto the wall to head to the Crossroads.

"Bye, Muta!" called Shiro, waving him goodbye.

"Bye, Shiro!" meowed Muta before heading on his way.

Muta retraced his steps through the alleyways to get to the Crossroads.

_I wonder what excuse Haru's got for us today, _Muta wondered grimly. It was already 11 AM, an hour after Haru's shift normally began. He reached the Crossroads where the sun was high above and the cars bustled through the busy streets. Muta hopped onto his usual spot on the chair outside the café. He peered inside to try to find Haru's face amidst the customers crowding around the counter to order their beverages. But he couldn't find her.

Muta's stomach twisted slightly as suspicion entered his mind once again. _Mmm…if I go to Baron now, he'll probably say that she's just late,_ Muta contemplated, already hearing Baron's voice with his denying rationale in his head. Muta hopped off of his chair. _If I don't see her when her shift ends, Baron's gonna be hearing a mouthful from me._

And so Muta wandered off to occupy himself until 5 o'clock. He visited a few of his routine families, rode the train, teased the usual dog, and even paid a visit to the abandoned building that was Nishi's antique shop. Once it neared 5 o'clock, Muta made his way back to the café. He hopped into his usual seat while one of the employees came out to the clean the table.

An older woman came out and said to the younger woman, "Ayame! Haru never showed up for her shift today. Do you know why?"

The worker, Ayame, shook her head. "No, ma'am. I called her mom and she thought she had gone to her friend Hiromi's. She hasn't come back yet. I called Hiromi and she said Haru never came over to her house."

Muta's ears perked up as he listened in on their conversation. The suspicion hit him full force. _She never went to Hiromi's?! And she hasn't gone home?! That _does _it!_

Muta leapt off of his chair, sprinting to the Cat Bureau as fast as he could.

* * *

Baron sat at his desk, catching up on some reading. A dusty blue book with crinkly, yellowing pages lay open before him. His emerald eyes scanned the small print at an unusually slow pace. His mind tried to focus on the barely audible voice that read the words aloud in his head as he tried to absorb the information. But his mind was repeatedly replaying the events that had recently occurred between him and Haru. All he could think of was her fresh, floral scent…her baby soft skin…her soft, brunette hair…her sparkling brown eyes…her shy, brightening smile…her sweet, uplifting voice…the memories were so blinding and deafening that focusing on the text was near hopeless.

"Urgh!!" Baron yelled in frustration, standing up and shoving the book off of the desk with all of his might. The book shot off the desk like a hockey puck and slammed into the edge of the grandfather clock which dinged in protest. The book fell onto the ground with a thud, opening to some random page.

Baron stood rigid and tense with his fists clenched tightly, shaking at his sides. Wrestling with his frustration, Baron slammed his fists onto his desk. The memories haunted him without cease, constantly reminding him that he hadn't been able to make more memories with her for nearly a week now. Every day, Muta would bring back some excuse about why she couldn't visit and Baron's heart sank every time. She wasn't usually so busy, not since she finished high school. Muta knew it and, in his heart, Baron did too. But he didn't want to interfere if she was busy. He had been _so_ close to telling her how he felt. He felt his heart wrench in pain in his intense desire to see her. He could almost imagine her to life and feel his arms wrapped around her warm, slim frame.

"Haru…" he strained painfully, forcing his hands to lay flat on the desk.

He heard the pitter patter of paws approaching fast. Faintly, he heard the magic transform Toto into his live state. The flapping of wings soon followed with Toto yelling, "Muta, what's going on?!"

Baron immediately knew something was wrong. He quickly picked up the book like nothing was wrong, hastily regaining his composure. Muta burst through the doors of the Bureau, squeezing his way in while Toto flew in through the windows above.

"What is it, Muta?" Baron asked, a slight edge of panic to his voice.

"It's Haru!" Muta panted, bent over while he gasped for breath. "Something's definitely up. I overheard the other workers at the café! She never went to Hiromi's and she never came back home either!"

Baron froze. His heart seemed to stop in his chest and his breathing nearly ceased. _Haru!! What on earth has happened to her?! _he screamed in his head. _I should have acted on my suspicions…_Baron thought grimly, punishing himself mentally. He didn't want to imagine what might have happened to her.

_Now's not the time for the 'what ifs,' _Baron reassured, trying to keep his usually calm composure under control.

"Toto, fly over the area and tell me if you see anything suspicious," Baron called up to the crow.

"I'm on it!" Toto replied, immediately taking off out the window.

Baron got some angel food cake out of the cupboard and cut a slice for Muta. He knew if there was one thing that would get Muta back on his feet in no time it was food. Muta ate the slice in one gulp, already looking refreshed.

"Why don't we just go to the Cat Kingdom?" Muta asked. "It seems like the most obvious reason that she's disappeared."

"I wonder too, Muta," said Baron. "But we don't know for sure. What reason would the Cat Kingdom have now to get Haru? If it were the former Cat King, he would've come for Haru much earlier."

Muta groaned in defeat. "I still think it could be the Cat Kingdom…" he mumbled.

By the time the sun had set and the sky was settling into a navy blue hue, Toto came flying back in. "I couldn't find anything," said Toto.

"Keep looking," Baron said. "Who knows when something might turn up?"

"I'll look on the ground," said Muta, heading out the door.

Baron went over to his desk and his fist slammed on the hard wood. _If anything happens to Haru, I'll never forgive myself!_ _How could I be so dense?_ The list of self-punishment continued until Muta rushed back as quickly as he had left. Toto came in from the top windows again.

"Baron! I think we've found something!" Muta said.

Baron immediately jumped onto the top level to climb onto Toto's back. They took off out of the top windows again. It only took a moment to fly over to the metallic green overhang where people often parked their cars. On the overhang was a giant, faded white circle sparkling in the moonlight. Encircled within was the shape of a cat's head and face.

Toto took Baron down while Muta ran up the stairs onto the overhang. Baron approached to see the fine grains of powder, still close enough together to make the circle visible. Baron scanned the circle and saw various strange symbols and icons organized within.

"A transportation circle with a cat's head inside…" Baron muttered amazed, his emerald eyes widening in astonishment.

"I'll give you two guesses but I'm sure you'll only need one," said Muta in a ghastly voice, not even bothering with an 'I told you so.'

Baron sighed in a mixture of anger and admittance. "The Cat Kingdom…" He turned to Muta. "Why didn't you notice this circle before, Muta?"

"I didn't see a circle here before," Muta replied, putting his paws up in defense.

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen?"

Baron, Toto, and Muta turned to the shadows to see who had spoken. Three cats emerged from the shadows, all of them black with their front sides white. They stood on their hind legs and bowed to Baron.

"We were sent here to find you on behalf of Their Majesties, King Lune and Queen Yuki," said the one in the center, his tenor voice velvety but commanding. "We bear an urgent message, requesting you to come to their castle immediately to discuss the whereabouts of Haru Yoshioka. We are here to escort you."

"All right," said Baron without question. "Take us there."

"We can reuse this transportation circle," said another cat, his voice a little higher in pitch than the first.

"Please step back," the third cat, his voice amazingly deep as he motioned for Toto, Muta, and Baron to step away from the circle.

Baron, Muta, and Toto retreated from the circle as the three cats set to work. They used their paws to rearrange the transportation circle, packing the powder into neat lines again and changing the symbols in the circle. Satisfied with the circle, one cat stood outside the circle by the ear of the drawn cat. Another cat stood at the other ear and the last cat stood at the chin. The three cats held up their paws to the sky and chanted some strange incantation, their voices dull and concentrated. With the last word, the circle was replaced with a pool of blue light.

"This is the portal to King Lune and Queen Yuki's castle," the light-voiced cat struggled to say, trying to talk and concentrate on the magic at the same time. "The three of you, please go through."

The Bureau members exchanged glances for a moment but nodded in agreement. Baron ran and jumped into the portal, holding onto his hat with one hand and his cane with the other. Toto flew up and took a nose dive downward into the blue light. Muta ran at the blue light and let his paws lose contact with the floor as he jumped in. The three cats jumped in at the same time, the circle closing in and nearly cutting them short form entering the Cat Kingdom.

The six of them fell quickly through a tunnel of shining, blue light. They kept falling until a blinding, white light enveloped them at the end. All six of them shielded their eyes at the bright shine until a sunny, grassy field came into view. Baron and the cats landed expertly on their hands, feet, and paws. Toto flapped his wings to fly himself upward before he hit the ground.

The party looked around them. Nothing had changed. It was the same green, grassy field with huts scattered around. In the center of it all was the grand castle where the royals resided. It was as if no evil could possibly be occurring in the Cat Kingdom.

The three black and white cats got up on their hind legs once more and turned to the Bureau members.

"Please follow us to the castle," said the tenor-voiced. The three cats began to walk towards the castle.

Baron, Muta, and Toto followed promptly, anticipating. Inside the castle, King Lune and Queen Yuki awaited anxiously, waiting for them to come to hear the dull news of Haru.

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Author's Notes: All right, so I apologize endless times over for taking so long to post this chapter. I know so many of you reviewed asking me to update and I really wanted to but I got SO incredibly busy. I had actually written this up awhile back and was thinking of making changes to it but I figured you guys had been waiting long enough :P

As far as my personal life goes (detailing my busy-ness), I have graduated from high school with a high school diploma AND an International Baccalaureate diploma! :D I got into my top choice college which is an AWESOME college btw. Since I got a score of 30 points on my IB diploma, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use the credits to knock out a whole year of college classes and, therefore, start college as a sophomore instead of a freshman. W00T! Less money, less time xD But alas, I'm undeclared T.T So many conflicting interests. Psychology, French, Music, English…the list goes on. Hopefully I can decide on a major. I wanna participate in so many activities too. I've developed a passion for Polynesian dancing since they finally made a group at my high school so I really wanna join a group up where my college is. I also wanna take belly dancing, fencing, ballroom dancing, martial arts…can I just take everything? xD I wanted to continue French but since there's so many other languages I can learn, I wanna take a new language. Right now, I'm torn between Italian and Japanese and I'll be even more torn if I find out what else the college offers as far as language is concerned xD (In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl who loves trying new things xD)

Okay…deep breath! –inhales- Thanks to Bambi4ever, YarningChick, Moonlight X Luna, EarthGurdian, Acorn-Tree, chocolatecheese08, swishfish, Nonimouse, Bibishi Kuronecko787, Dezzy'z Tales, Neon Tears, FinlandGirl, sakura and izuna, cuteknight101, Belka, Savannah Cullen, total-animal-lover, ., and Ceysna for reviewing! Again, I'm so sorry it took me so long! I'm hoping you'll forgive me if the next chapter proves to be rusty seeing as I haven't seriously written for months now . But I will try my best to bring my writing back up to speed. Thank you for your continuous support, minna! I love you, love you, love you all! :D


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, so life and writers block kind of got in the way again and I had to put this story aside for a very long time. I apologize intensely. Only a few chapters to go after this though! Thank you for sticking with this story after so long! I'm happy you guys enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.

Chapter 9

The grand hall was empty of its usual guests. Sunlight poured through the windows, filling up the emptiness of the room. At the royal table sat Yuki and Lune, sitting regally in their chairs as they waited for their guests.

The double doors burst open. In the doorway stood Baron, Muta, and Toto. They proceeded to the center of the room in front of the king and queen's table. The three black and white cats followed suit.

"Your Majesties," Baron quickly addressed, bowing down and swinging off his top hat for a moment.

Lune hastily waved his paw. "No need for such formalities, Baron. Please stand."

Baron obeyed, waiting for Lune to speak. Lune opened his mouth to speak but then averted his gaze to look at the three cats that had guided them in.

"I don't recognize the three of you," Lune said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

A barely audible _gulp_ caught in one of the cats' throats. They began to back away slowly and began to mutter in a strange language.

Lune's eyes snapped open wide and stood up abruptly from his chair. "Guards, seize them!"

Before the trio could finish an incantation, the guards flung themselves at them and pinned their arms behind their backs. The guards pushed them down so they were on all fours, nearly prostrated on the ground. They quickly ripped cloth from off of their uniforms and strapped them around the mouths of the cats to keep them from chanting any spells. The three struggled but to no avail.

"Name yourself!" Lune demanded.

The guards pulled the straps off from their mouths. "I am Archibald, your majesty," said the tenor-voiced.

"And I am Julius," said the light-voiced.

"And I am Gareth," said the deep-voiced.

"We are from the castle of Duke Don Cassius Armistead," Archibald said.

"Then you are spies?" Lune shouted.

"No, Your Majesty!" Julius replied quickly. "We are here to help your cause."

"And for what reason would you want to help our cause?" Lune inquired.

"Everyone in the castle has been under the tyranny of the Duke for too long," Archibald said sadly. "I and my two comrades here decided to escape. We are hoping that you can put the Duke in his place, my king, where I and the others cannot. We are also hoping for the release of his fiancée, Miss Haru."

"You've seen her?" Baron exclaimed, putting his foot forward in their direction, his emerald eyes widening in hope.

"Yes. Once," Gareth said. "The Duke had changed Julius here into a doppelganger of you, Baron von Gikkingen, and tortured him with magic so Haru would know what would happen to you should she try to escape or contact you."

Baron's fists clenched at his side, his "eyebrows" forking in fury. "What can you tell us about this Duke of yours?"

"He is a cold-hearted cat," said Julius. "He has always been sadistic, greedy, unsatisfied. The only reason the servants work for him is because he threatened to harm our families."

"But he hasn't always been powerful?" Lune urged.

"No," said Archibald. "You know, Your Majesty, of the Mines of the Moon that we had discovered a few years ago?"

"Yes, during the reign of my father," Lune replied.

"Mines of the Moon, Lune?" Baron inquired.

"It was a mine discovered two years ago, around the time that Haru first came here, in fact. The mine was filled with mysterious stones that glowed in the moonlight, hence why it was named the Mines of the Moon."

"Then you remember that your father put the previous Duke in charge of researching the stones and their powers?" Archibald interjected.

"Yes."

"The Duke has been very good about hiding any discoveries about the stones, but he did not have his powers until he began researching those stones."

"Are you suggesting that these stones are the source of the Duke's power?" asked Yuki.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you know how this duke uses these stones to get these powers?" Muta asked.

"No one knows," said Gareth, "but the Duke is very particular about dressing himself so we think he wears these stones on his person."

"Then if we find the Duke and destroy his stone, we can strip him of his power and save Haru," said Baron, pacing to the other side of the room, his hand on his chin in thought.

"Baron, are you sure we're gonna be able to do that?" Muta asked nervously, looking after him.

"Yeah, Baron, we don't know much about these stones," Toto added. "Who knows what could happen?"

"We need to try." Baron let his hand fall and Muta glimpsed a gloved hand curling into a fist. "I will save Haru from him. I won't allow him to force her to be his wife."

"Perhaps it's these stones that make him so confident in taking over the human world," said Lune.

"Taking over?" Muta said, his eyes widening in Lune's direction.

"We spoke to Haru at the Duke's engagement party. One reason he's so set on marrying Haru is to lure you here, Baron. He wants to take over the human world to exploit its resources and expand the Cat Kingdom, with the only human girl who's come here and made it back as his bride. And he knows that you and Muta are his most powerful adversaries, having thwarted the Cat Kingdom in the past. You must be extremely careful, Baron."

Baron nodded. "When is this wedding taking place?"

Lune looked out the window and replied grimly, "At sundown."

"Sundown?" Muta shouted. "We might only have a few hours then!"

"I'll be able to fly us there," said Toto.

"It's always night at the Duke's castle so you should be able to blend in the shadows," said Gareth. "You'll be able to hide in the trees of the forest until Haru is retrieved."

"Then it's settled," Lune said, standing up from his throne. "I'll go gather the troops. Yuki, please watch over the Kingdom until we return."

"I will. Please be careful," Yuki said, resting a paw on his arm.

"I will," Lune replied, taking a moment to nuzzle his head against his wife's before walking swiftly out of the throne room to gather some soldiers. Muta, Toto, and the Duke's three servants followed promptly.

Baron went also but hesitated at the door. He turned to Yuki and asked, "How was she?"

Yuki looked into Baron's emerald, eager eyes with her saddened, blue ones. "Not good. She's miserable with that duke." She looked to the floor for a moment in guilt. "She didn't want us to tell you where she was. She wants to keep you safe."

Baron also turned his eyes to the floor, not know what to say.

Yuki made her way across the throne room and placed her snowy paw on Baron's shoulder. "I know you'll rescue her, Baron."

"I will," replied Baron, "even if it does mean giving my own life."

Baron gave Yuki a reassuring smile and went to join the others while Yuki bent her head in silent prayer for their safe return before walking back to her throne.

Author's Notes: I also apologize that this chapter ended up being a lot of talking. I really hate it when there's seriously not much action going on so there're quotation marks left and right. But there will be more action in the future to make up for it.

I seem to always be going through some personal drama when I'm writing these, this time involving letting go of someone I love who let me go over the summer, who I think I'm supposed to be with. Keep me in your prayers 'cause honestly, I'm trying to hang in there but I'm not doing so hot. It's kind of consuming my mind every day. And you guys don't even know the half of it -_-' I'm feeling weak and could use some good energy being channeled my way.

On a lighter note, I just started my sophomore year of college (seriously, tomorrow is my third day) and it's going pretty okay so far. And I've decided on a major, just need to talk to a counselor in the department about it :)

Okay, another deep breath! –inhales- Thanks to laurashrub, Tamashi no Kuroneko, Bambi4ever, annemarie, Nonimouse, Gulliver's Landing, LeafeKnight7, CasualtyOfLove, chibi-kaze-sofia, Savannah Cullen, Metarose, Okami Hogosha, mizgardenia21, Prats 'R' Us, samuraistar, ShadowVixen, Marlene00891, pyrrhictears, Silence Navarathna, James Birdsong, EagleBlaze, Neatsue, Nichelle M, Treeni, aznchocoholic, FALLING-ANGEL24, bluecrystal angel, kisa-kara-chan, Furryfur, animefan0000012345, SilentHopeX3, AGB, and MimoriFanForever for your heartwarming reviews during this long, long break! Not only do I love writing this story but I wouldn't be as motivated without the kind words from you guys. At this moment (and I really do mean at this moment, as I sit at my desk in my dorm typing these words, which means that it could change even if I don't want it to) I'm determined to spend the next couple of weeks finishing this story. I want to be able to finish out this wonderful story and say that I wrote an awesome fanfic with a community that really likes it. And it's my first in forever! So please be patient with me and thank you for sticking with me even now, even after making you guys wait because of my indecision of what to write and when to write it and life. Thank you guys so much :)


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